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LIBRARY 

OF  THK 

University  of  California. 

Mrs.  SARAH  P.  WALSWORTH. 

Received  October,  1894. 
Accessions  No .  J~^  3  2  2-      ClcWS  No. 


/ 


LIFE 


OP 


CARDINAL    CHEVERUS 


I  ci 


r. 


/'\r(:lit)i,sfi()|)   of   Bordeaux, 


THE 


LIFE    OF 


CARDINAL    CHEVERUS, 


ARCHBISHOP  OF  BORDEAUX, 


AND   FORMERLY 


BISHOP  OF  BOSTON,  IN  MASSACHUSETTS. 


J.  HUEN-DUBOURG,  J'^'^'/'' 

PRIEST,  AND   LATE   PROFESSOR  OF  THEOLOGY.         U 

TRANSLATED     FROM     THE     FRENCH 
By   E.    STEWART. 


is^:^ 


OS'  '".  r 


BOSTON : 

JAMES  MUNROE  AND  COMPANY 
1839. 


to  Act yff  Congress, 


Entered  according  to  Act  yff  Congress,  in  the  year  1839,  by 

James  Munroe  and  Cohfant, 

in  the  Clerk's  office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


CAMBRIDGE: 

FOLSOM,    WELLS,   AND   THURSTON, 

PRINTERS  TO  THE  UNIVERSITY. 


^^  4  ,/     Oir  -*/ 

TRANSLATOR'S    PREFACE. 


In  the  preparation  of  the  present  work,  I  have 
proceeded  throughout  on  the  principle,  that  the  most 
scrupulous  fidelity  to  the  original  is  the  first  duty  of 
a  translator.  Accordingly,  it  has  been  my  endeavour, 
not  only  to  preserve  the  general  sense  and  spirit  of 
each  sentence,  but,  so  far  as  the  genius  of  languages 
so  dissimilar  would  admit,  to  present  in  the  English 
a  translation  in  all  respects  literally  conforming  to 
the  French.  I  should  state,  however,  that,  where  quo- 
tations from  our  own  writers  are  introduced,  I  have 
not  deemed  it  my  duty  to  retranslate  the  French,  but, 
wherever  the  original  English  was  accessible,  I  have 
preferred  always  to  cite  it  directly. 

I  have  found  many  things  in  the  course  of  the 
work  which  I  would  gladly  have  modified,  had  I  felt 
myself  at  liberty  to  do  so  ;  and,  perhaps,  had  I  yield- 
ed to  my  inclination  in  this  respect,  I  might  have 
rendered  the  book  more  generally  acceptable.  I  have 
contented  myself,  however,  with  correcting,  in  a  note 
at  the  bottom  of  the  page,  any  important  error  which 


iv  TRANSLATOR'S   PREFACE. 

I  have  discovered,  as  to  matters  of  fact  ;  leaving 
faults  of  style  and  sentiment  to  the  candor  and  good 
sense  of  the  reader.  Statements  which  seemed  to 
require  confirmation  or  explanation,  I  have  been  at 
considerable  pains  to  investigate,  and  have  given  the 
results  in  an  Appendix.  Whatever  estimate  be 
set  upon  the  value  of  some  of  the  authorities  there 
cited,  I  am  persuaded,  that,  upon  inspection,  every 
candid  and  intelligent  mind  will  at  once  acquit  the 
biographer  of  the  charge  of  fabrication  and  wilful 
misstatement;  a  charge  brought  against  him,  in  certain 
of  the  Boston  journals,  since  the  publication  of  the 
first  two  Books  of  this  Translation.  Knowing  the  high 
estimation  for  pietj  and  integrity  in  which  M.  Dubourg 
was  held,  both  in  Bordeaux  and  in  Paris,  and  having 
myself  observed  that  he  enjoyed  the  confidence  and 
intimate  friendship  of  Cardinal  Cheverus,  it  was  with 
concern,  that  I  noticed,  in  the  respectable  journals 
alluded  to,  strictures  so  deeply  affecting  his  honesty, 
and  the  truth  and  credibility  of  his  narrative.  That 
these  strictures  are  in  the  main  unfounded,  I  cannot 
entertain  a  doubt  ;  and,  so  far  as  they  are  directed 
against  particular  statements  as  to  matters  of  fact, 
I  think  the  evidence  furnished  in  the  Appendix  abun- 
dantly proves  them  so.  Errors  there  undoubtedly 
are  ;  and,  looking  to  all  the  circumstances,  it  would 
be  very  strange  if  there  were  not. 

The  sources  from  which  M.  Dubourg  derived  much 
of  his  information,  although  he  himself  seems  to  have 
considered  them  sufficient,  were  obviously  by  no  means 


TRANSLATOR'S    PREFACE.  V 

SO  full  as  could  have  been  desired,  or  as  would 
seem  to  have  been  absolutely  indispensable  to  the 
completeness  and  entire  accuracy  of  his  work.  The 
Cardinal's  papers,  indeed,  the  most  important  source 
of  all,  were  in  his  possession  ;  but  the  information 
to  be  derived  from  them  could  hardly  have  been  other- 
wise than  imperfect  and  fragmentary.  The  Cardinal 
himself,  the  only  person,  probably,  capable  of  con- 
necting the  disjointed  parts,  interpreting  with  preci- 
sion the  hints  contained  in  them,  and  supplying  from 
recollection  such  portions  as  might  be  wanting,  had 
died  suddenly  ;  and  even  had  his  modesty  previously 
conceived,  or  the  solicitude  of  friends  suggested,  the 
idea  of  collecting  and  arranging  the  materials  for  his 
biography,  he  was  not  a  man  to  have  concerned  him- 
self in  an  object  of  this  sort,  with  the  all-absorbing 
cares  of  a  most  laborious  ministry  upon  him,  duties  in 
his  view  paramount  to  all  others.  Further,  it  was  then 
more  than  ten  years  since  he  had  left  America,  and  forty 
since  his  first  arrival  here.  The  memorials  of  his  labors 
in  his  New  England  diocese  had  many  of  them  passed 
into  oblivion  ;  and  of  such  as  remained,  so  retiring  and 
unobtrusive  were  his  habits,  the  full  knowledge  was 
confined  to  very  few.  To  present  an  accurate  view  of 
his  ministry  among  us,  it  was  necessary  for  his  biogra- 
pher to  collect  these  memorials  from  a  distance  of  three 
thousand  miles.  If,  under  such  circumstances  of 
difficulty,  M.  Dubourg  succeeded  in  obtaining  any 
materials  whatever  from  this  country,  of  course  he 
could   hardly  be   supposed   capable    of  judging  with 


Vi  TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE, 

nice  accuracy  of  their  value  ;  if  they  were  sent  to 
him  as  authentic,  he  would  feel  himself  justified  in 
so  regarding  them,  and  in  using  them  accordingly. 
A  foreigner,  moreover,  and  at  best,  probably,  but  very 
imperfectly  acquainted  with  even  the  general  condition 
of  things  among  us,  it  is  not  at  all  surprising,  that  he 
has  sometimes,  in  his  views  of  particular  classes  in  par- 
ticular regions  and  towns,  and  of  the  state  of  opinion 
and  feeling  on  particular  subjects,  fallen  into  mistakes. 
What  wonder,  for  example,  that,  being  informed  of 
individual  cases  of  Protestant  ministers  who  denied 
the  necessity  of  baptism,  of  the  existence  of  a  whole 
denomination  among  us  who  discard  it  entirely,  and  of 
another  denomination,  comprehending  nearly  half  our 
churches,  by  whom  the  ordinance  of  infant  baptism 
is  set  aside,  he  should  infer  the  prevalence  among  our 
clergy  of  a  disbelief  in  this  sacrament  altogether  ? 
Again,  having  learned,  the  all  but  absolute  control 
possessed  by  Bishop  Cheverus  over  the  people  of 
his  charge,  a  control  so  complete  as  to  be  the  subject 
of  general  admiration  and  encomium,  —  having  an 
eye  also,  it  may  be,  to  the  distinguished  worth  of 
the  pastor  himself,  as  being  likely  to  give  a  tone  to 
the  character  of  his  people,  —  nay,  looking  only  to 
the  simple  fact  of  their  being  Catholics,  itself  suf- 
ficient, in  the  mind  of  a  Catholic,  as  a  ground  of 
favorable  comparison  in  respect  to  piety  with  those 
whom  his  church  regards  as  heretics  and  apostates, — 
what  wonder  that  the  biographer  has  spoken  of  them 
in  terms  which  to  Protestant   ears  sound,  to  say  the 


TRANSLATOR'S    PREFACE.  Vll 

least,  invidious  ?  Considering,  also,  the  constant  at- 
tendance of  Protestants  upon  the  Catholic  preach- 
ing, the  court  paid  by  them  to  the  Bishop  person- 
ally, and  the  universal  respect  in  which  he  was  held 
by  all  classes,  what  wonder  that  the  number  and 
quality  of  the  conversions  effected  by  him  should 
be  imagined  greater  than  they  actually  were  ?  What 
wonder,  too,  let  me  here  add,  that  the  Catholic 
priest  should  represent  the  Catholic  bishop  as  always 
triumphant  in  the  vindication  of  his  faith  ?  Is  it  not 
perfectly  natural  ?  Is  it  natural,  on  the  contrary,  for 
men,  holding  to  any  form  of  faith  whatsoever,  to  ac- 
knowledge the  arguments  on  which  that  faith  is  rest- 
ed, and  which  satisfy  their  own  minds,  to  be  success- 
fully met  and  combated,  however  others  may  view 
the  matter  ?  A  man  may  make  an  acknowledgment 
of  this  sort  when  he  has  concluded  to  renounce  his 
religion,  but  never  while  he  holds  to  it. 

Is  it  charged  against  the  biographer,  generally, 
that  he  indulges  in  indiscriminate  panegyric  of  his 
subject,  in  exaggeration  and  overstatement  ?  I  reply, 
it  is  the  French  style.  A  book  written  by  a  French- 
man, and  for  Frenchmen,  will  necessarily  partake  of 
the  characteristics  of  the  French  ;  eulogium  will 
often  run  into  excess  ;  strict,  philosophical  exactness 
will  frequently  be  violated  ;  incidents,  in  themselves 
trivial,  will,  here  and  there,  be  magnified  into  im- 
portance ;  and  over  the  whole,  an  air,  a  coloring, 
will  be  thrown,  not  altogether  consonant  to  the  rules 
of  a  chastened  taste.     But,   apart  from  general  con- 


iriii  TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE. 

siderations,  —  we  have  here  a  work,  —  the  author 
a  Catholic  priest, — the  subject,  the  life  of  a  Catholic 
Cardinal,  —  a  Cardinal  of  France, —  Cardinal  Chev- 
erus  ;  —  a  title,  in  itself,  of  august  import  ;  and,  as 
borne  by  a  subject  of  the  realm,  a  proud  theme  ;  but, 
associated  with  the  man,  appealing  to  every  senti- 
ment of  deepest  admiration  and  reverence,  —  a  prel- 
ate of  the  like  of  whom  the  whole  history  of  the 
church  furnishes  but  few  examples,  in  devotion  to  its 
interests,  in  virtue,  in  faith,  piety,  charity,  humility, 
disinterested  self-denial  and  self-sacrifice  ;  the  pride 
of  the  priesthood,  and  revered  alike  by  Catholics, 
heretics,  and  unbelievers  ;  caressed  by  royalty,  and 
the  devoted  pastor  of  the  poor.  On  such  a  theme, 
surely,  if  on  any,  enthusiasm  may  well  be  par- 
doned in  a  biographer,  himself  a  Frenchman,  a  Cath- 
olic, a  priest,  writing  for  Frenchmen  and  Catholics. 
If,  accordingly,  he  presents  his  illustrious  subject, 
on  all  occasions,  under  all  circumstances,  as  the 
object  of  a  reverential,  enthusiastic  admiration,  which 
can  hardly  pay  him  suflScient  honor,  —  if,  in  a  com- 
parison with  others,  both  he  and  all  that  apper- 
tain to  him  are  presented  at  a  decided  advantage, 
—  if,  in  writing  his  character,  the  pen  runs  constant- 
ly into  a  description  of  the  purest,  loftiest,  loveliest 
excellence,  and  even  his  weaknesses  are  set  forth 
in  the  light  of  virtues,  —  surely,  there  is  much  in  the 
theme  to  justify  it  ;  and  men  are  not  so  dull,  that 
they  cannot  make  the  needful  allowance,  and  derive 
pleasure,  and  instruction,  and  a  holy  incitement,  from 


TRANSLATOR'S    PREFACE. 


\X 


dwelling  on  the  features  (which  cannot  be  disguised) 
of  the  good  man  who  is  here  set  before  them.  The 
portraiture  may  need  to  be  viewed  through  a  medium 
which  shall  soften  the  coloring  somewhat  ;  but,  I 
venture  to  assert,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  there 
is  not  a  line  on  all  the  face,  which  is  not  instantly 
reflected  in  every  memory  that  retains  the  image  of 
the  living  original. 

In  conclusion,  —  lest  any  should  misapprehend  the 
object  of  these  remarks,  —  I  would  observe  that  I  do 
not  ask  any  peculiar  indulgence  for  the  present  work. 
Considered  in  its  proper  aspect,  as  a  French  book,  as 
the  work  of  a  Catholic,  as  composed  under  circum- 
stances almost  necessarily  precluding  entire  accuracy 
as  to  certain  incidental  points,  I  can  feel  no  hesita- 
tion in  submitting  it  to  the  test  of  enlightened  criti- 
cism.  To  judge  of  it  without  reference  to  these  par- 
ticulars would  be  clearly  unworthy  aught  that  can  be 
called  criticism  ;  condemnation  under  such  a  rule 
would  reflect  discredit  only  on  the  critic  himself,  as 
it  would  be  tantamount  to  condemning  the  author  on 
the  ground  that  he  is  not  a  Protestant  and  an  Amer- 
ican. 

Of  the  general  fidelity  and  value  of  this  work,  I 
have  already  remarked  that  I  can  entertain  no  doubt. 
If  any  thing  were  previously  wanting  to  a  full  convic- 
tion on  this  point,  it  has  been  abundantly  supplied  by 
the  results  of  my  investigation  with  regard  to  partic- 
ular  statements   which   have    been    questioned,    and 


X  TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE. 

which,  as  will  appear  in  the  Appendix,  have  been 
confirmed  even  in  cases  I  had  myself,  in  the  first 
instance,  deemed  to  be  errors. 

With  these   observations,  I  leave   the  book  with   an 
intelligent  and  candid  public. 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 


To  write  the  biography  of  men  eminent  for  virtue, 
and  exhibit  to  the  world  the  excellent  examples  which 
they  have  left  behind  in  their  passage  through  it,  I 
regard  as  one  of  the  most  important  services  that 
can  be  rendered  to  religion  and  to  society.  It  is  to 
do  honor  to  the  faith  which  has  inspired  their  labors 
and  formed  their  exalted  characters,  and  to  present 
to  mankind  the  most  powerful  incentive  to  virtue,  that 
of  example. 

I  cannot,  then,  better  employ  the  leisure  which 
Providence  has  granted  me  in  my  retirement  from  my 
former  labors,  than  by»  devoting  it  to  writing  the  biog- 
raphy of  a  Prince  of  the  church,  who,  throughout  his 
life,  was  an  affecting  example  of  every  virtue,  an  hon- 
or to  religion,  and  the  glory  of  the  episcopal  office. 

Having  myself  been  born  and  having  resided  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Mayenne,  the  birth-place  of 
Cardinal  Cheverus,  I  must  not  leave  to  the  pen  of  a 
stranger  the  honorable  task  of  commemorating  the 
brightest  ornament  of  my  country  ;  especially  as 
Providence  has  placed  in  my  hands  all  the  materials 
necessary  to  such  a  work. 


Xll  AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 

From  the  lips  of  many  individuals  at  Mayenne,  I 
have  learned  all  that  relates  to  the  childhood  and  youth 
of  Monseigneur  Cheverus,  as  well  as  the  first- 
fruits  of  his  ministry  in  that  city,  before  the  revolu- 
tion of  1793.  As  regards  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
I  have  been  able  to  obtain  accurate  information  :  — 
1st,  from  the  very  valuable  and  minute  accounts  re- 
ceived from  Bordeaux  ;  2ndly,  from  various  letters 
and  public  prints  from  this  city  as  well  as  from  Mon- 
tauban  and  Boston  ;  and  3dly,  from  the  papers,  left 
by  His  Eminence  at  his  decease.  Such  are  the  au- 
fhentic  sources  which  have  been  at  my  command.  If, 
in  the  course  of  the  work,  I  have  not  referred  to 
them  severally,  in  regard  to  each  individual  fact,  it 
has  been  to  avoid  increasing  the  size  of  the  volume 
without  any  advantage  to  the  reader  ;  and  in  some 
cases  because  it  was  impossible  to  do  so  ;  as  the  ar- 
ticles in  the  American  journals,  probably  to  save 
postage,  were  generally  sent  to  me  detached  from  the 
papers  which  contained  them,  the  titles  of  which  were 
therefore  unknown  to  me. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  aids,  I  perceive  the  de- 
fects and  imperfections  of  my  work.  But,  how- 
ever imperfect  it  may  be,  I  feel  assured  that  it  will 
be  useful,  and  that  one  can  hardly  read  the  account 
of  so  many  virtuous  deeds  without  desiring  to  be- 
come better. 

Some  readers,  perhaps,  will  find  but  little  interest 
in  certain  religious  details  contained  in  the  work.  Or 
the  style  may  seem  to  have  borrowed  too  ecclesiasti- 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE.  xiil 

cal  a  tone,  very  unlike  that  of  their  usual  course  of 
reading.  But  I  beg  them  to  consider  that  every  sub- 
ject demands  a  style  peculiar  to  itself  The  life  of  a 
warrior,  of  a  magistrate,  or  of  any  man  of  the  world, 
should  be  written  in  a  very  different  manner  from,  that 
of  a  bishop.  The  latter,  particularly,  calls  for  a  se- 
rious, a  religious  style. 

The  historian  should  exhibit  the  prelate,  whose  life 
he  writes,  as  the  man  of  God  and  servant  of  religion  ; 
preparing  himself  by  piety  and  study  for  his  exalted 
ministry,  and,  when  he  has  entered  upon  it,  doing  all 
the  good  in  his  power,  but  guided  always  by  the  influ- 
ence of  faith,  of  charity,  and  of  an  enlightened  zeal  ; 
engaging  with  a  holy  ardor  in  works  which  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world  may  seem  small,  but  which  are 
great,  noble,  and  divine  in  the  eye  of  religion.  Other- 
wise the  historian  would  be  unfaithful  to  his  charac- 
ter, placing  the  glory  of  a  bishop  where  it  does  not 
truly  lie,  and  keeping  his  real  excellence  out  of  sight. 
Now,  to  accomplish  this  task,  the  details  and  language 
must  be  wholly  of  a  clerical  cast.  Religion  herself 
should  guide  the  pen,  and  write  the  history  of  her 
favorite  son. 


CONTENTS 


Page 
Translator's  Preface    ......        iii 

Author's  Preface     ......  xi 

BOOK  I. 

From  the  Birth  of  the  Cardinal,  in  1768,  to  his 
Departure  from  France,  in  1792. 

Birth  and  Family  of  Cheverus  ....         1 

His  Mother              ......  2 

Traits  in  Childhood  and  at  School       .            .             .  .        4 

His  first  Communion,  and  Tonsure             ...  5 

Presented  to  the  Bishop  of  Mans.     The  Bishop's  Interest  in  him    6 
Made  Prior  of  Torbechet,  and  Chaplain  Extraordinary  to  Monsieur  7 

Lawsuit  in  reference  to  the  Income  of  the  Priory             .  7 

Goes  to  Paris,  and  is  presented  to  Monsieur    .            .  .9 

Enters  the  College  of  Louis-le-Grand  in  Paris     .            .  9 

Laxity  of  the  College  Discipline          .             .             .  .10 

Exemplary  Conduct  of  Cheverus  at  College         .             .  10 

His  judicious  Choice  of  College  Friends        .             .  .11 

His  Talents,  and  Distinction  at  College     ...  14 

Maintains  a  philosophical  Thesis  in  a  public  Disputation  .       16 

Enters  the  theological  Seminary  of  St.  Magloire               .  17 

His  Intimacy  with  the  Abbe  Maccarthy           .             .  .18 

His  ecclesiastical  Studies    .....  18 

Disorderly  Conduct  of  the  Students  at  the  Sorbonne  .      19 

His  respectful  Deportment  and  Diligence              .             .  20 

His  Attention  to  the  Graces  of  Elocution       .             .  .20 

Liberal  Offer  of  the  Superior  of  St.  Sulpice        .           .  21 


Xvi  CONTENTS. 

Is  ordained  Deacon  .....  21 

Is  admitted  to  Priest's  Orders  by  Dispensation  from  Rome   .      22 

Appointed  Canon  of  Mans,  and  Vicar  of  Mayenne 

His  zealous  Labors  at  Mayenne  ... 

Refuses  to  take  the  Oath  to  the  Constitution 

Is  ejected  from  his  Vicarage,  and  silenced 

Appointed  Curate  of  Mayenne,  and  Vicar-General 

Forced  to  leave  his  Curacy 

Goes  to  Paris,  where  he  remains  in  Concealment 

Embarks  for  England  .... 


BOOK   II. 

Life  of  Cardinal  Cheverus  during  his  Absence  from 
Frakce. 

Declines  the  Offer  of  Relief  from  the  British  Government  30 
Gives  Lessons  in  a  Boarding-School.    Respect  of  the  Principal   31 

Assists  his  destitute  Countrymen                ...  31 
By  the  Aid  of  his  Pupils  he  perfects  himself  in  the  English        39 

Preaches  his  first  English  Sermon               ...  33 

Opens  a  Catholic  Chapel  in  London                 .             .  .34 

Leaves  the  Boarding  School            ...             *  35 

Gives  Lessons  to  the  Son  of  an  English  Nobleman  .       35 

Thinks  of  leaving  England              ....  36 

Is  invited  to  take  Charge  of  a  College  at  Cayenne      .  .       37 
Wishes  to  join  the  Bishop  of  Dol  in  the  Quiberon  Expedition    38 

Receives  a  Letter  from  the  Abbe  Matignon                 .  .       39 

Importance  of  the  Boston  Station               ...  40 

Determines  to  go  to  Boston      .             .             ,             .  .41 

Relinquishes  his  Patrimony             .             .             .             .  41 

Sails  for  Boston             .             .             .            .            .  .43 

Joy  of  iVL  Matignon  on  his  Arrival             ...  44 

Appointed  Assistant  Missionary  for  New  England      .  .       45 

Condition  of  the  New  England  Mission     ...  45 

Prejudices  against  the  Catholic  Church           .            .  .46 


CONTENTS.  Xvii 

Mr.  Thayer 47 

Tender  Friendship  of  MM.  Matignon  and  Cheverus         .  48 

Their  exemplary  Life,  and  apostolical  Devotedness    .  .      49 

Their  Virtue  triumphs  over  Prejudice        ...  60 

A  Protestant  Minister  attempts  to  convert  them          .  .      50 

Tribute  of  a  Protestant  Journal      ....  51 

The  Protestants  go  to  hear  M.  Cheverus         .  .  .52 

Winning  Character  of  his  Preaching  ...  52 

Gratification  of  M.  Matignon  at  his  Success    .  .  .53 

Gradual  Abatement  of  Prejudice  against  the  Catholics    .  53 

His  Instructions  to  the  Catholics,  and  Influence  over  them      54 
He  inspires  universal  Confidence         .  .  .  .55 

Manages  the  temporal  Affairs  of  many  of  his  Parishioners  57 

Applies  himself  to  the  Study  of  Belles- Lettres  .  .       58 

Is  offered  the  Charge  of  St.  Mary's  Church  in  Philadelphia        60 
Visits  the  State  of  Maine,  and  builds  a  Church  at  Newcastle        CI 
Learns  the  Language  of  the  Penobscot  and  Passamaquoddy 

Indians        .  .  .  .  .  .  .       Gl 

Visits  these  Tribes  .....  63 

His  first  Meeting  with  the  Indians       .  .  .  .64 

Partakes  of  a  Repast  with  them      ....  65 

Privations  and  Labors  .  .  .  .  .  .65 

Encouragements  of  his  Mission      ....  66 

Amiable  Traits  of  Character  in  the  Indians     .  .  .67 

Proofs  of  their  Respect  and  Affection  for  him       .  .  68 

Anecdote.  Their  Abhorrence  of  the  Execution  of  Louis  XVI.  71 
Zeal  of  M.  Cheverus  during  the  Yellow  Fever  in  Boston  72 

High  Respect  shown  him  by  the  People  of  Boston    .  .       74 

Consulted  by  Members  of  the  Legislature  .  .  76 

Opens  a  Subscription  for  building  a  Catholic  Church  .       77 

The  Building  begun,  and  carried  on  as  the  Funds  are  raised  78 
His  Family  urge  him  to  return  to  France.  His  Irresolution  79 
Is  persuaded  by  Bishop  Carroll  to  remain  in  America      .  80 

The  Church  completed,  and  consecrated  by  Bishop  Carroll  81 
Ceremony  of  the  Consecration.  Illumination  of  the  Church  82 
Religious  Services  in  the  new  Church       ...  83 

He  attends  two  Convicts  at  Northampton       .  .  .85 

b* 


Xviii  CONTENTS. 

Rebukes  the  Females  assembled  to  witness  their  Execution  87 

Overcomes  the  Prejudices  of  the  Protestants  in  Northampton  88 

Correspondence  with  Madam  Seton.    Her  Conversion          .  89 

By  his  Advice  she  founds  a  House  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  91 

He  is  appointed  Bishop  of  Boston.     His  Pain  on  Promotion  93 

Consecrated  by  Bishop  Carroll  in  the  Cathedral  at  Baltimore  94 

Preaches  at  the  Consecration  of  M.  Flaget             .             .  94 

Ecclesiastical  Regulations  agreed  upon  by  the  Bishops          .  95 

Simple  and  modest  Life  of  the  new  Bishop  of  Boston       .  97 

His  apostolical  Labois.    Anecdote  of  a  Sailor              .             .  99 

Affection  of  the  Catholics.    Baptismal  Anecdote                .  100 
He  preaches  in  Protestant  Churches  .            .            .             .100 

His  Style  of  Preaching  on  these  Occasions             .             .  101 

Examples.     Influence  of  these  Discourses       .             .             .  103 

Conferences  with  Protestant  Ministers      .             .             .  106 

Remarkable  Conversions           .....  108 

His  Charity  to  the  refugee  Colonists          .             .            .  Ill 
Character  of  these  Refugees     .             .             .             .             .112 

Consecrates  the  Cathedral  of  New  York    .             .             .  115 

Letter  of  Condolence  to  the  Catholic  Prelates  of  Ireland        .  116 

His  Thanksgiving  Discourse  on  the  Downfall  of  Napoleon  118 

Death  of  Archbishop  Carroll            ....  119 

He  refuses  the  Office  of  Assistant  Bishop  of  Baltimore           .  120 

His  Letter  to  the  Holy  See  on  this  Subject            .             .  121 

Second  Letter,  entreating  never  to  be  removed  from  Boston  123 

His  Esteem  and  Affection  for  the  Jesuits                .             .  124 

Regard  for  the  Priests  of  St.  Sulpicius             .             .             .  125 

Educates  Priests  to  aid  him  in  his  Ministry           .             .  126 
Their  Affection  for  him             .             .             .             .             .127 

Establishes  a  Convent  of  Ursulines            .            .             .  128 

His  kind  Treatment  of  the  exiled  Trappists    .             .             .  129 

Death  of  the  Abbe  Matignon           ....  130 

Funeral  Honors.     General  Regret.     Grief  of  the  Bishop      .  131 

Increased  Arduousness  of  his  Duties.     His  Health  impaired  132 

Meditates  a  Return  to  France                ....  133 

Recalled  to  France  and  appointed  Bishop  of  Montauban        .  134 

Conflict  of  Feelings  on  receiving  this  Appointment         .  135 


CONTENTS.  XIX 

Refuses  the  See  of  Montauban  and  decides  to  remain  in  Boston  136 

Petition  of  the  Protestants  of  Boston  to  Louis  XVIIl.  137 

The  King  insists,  and  the  Bishop  yields          .             .  .     139 

Disposes  of  all  his  Property  before  leaving  Boston            .  140 

Universal  Lamentation  on  his  Departure         .             .  ,     141 

Address  of  the  Catholics  of  Boston             .             .             .  142 

Reply  of  the  Bishop.     His  Farewell  Discourse          .  .     144 

Departure  from  Boston        .....  145 

Tribute  to  his  Character  by  Dr.  Channing      .             .  .     146 

He  embarks  at  New  York   .             .             .             .             .  147 

Gains  the  Confidence  and  Esteem  of  his  Fellow-Passengers  147 

His  Shipwreck,  miraculous  Escape,  and  Arrival  in  France  .     149 


BOOK   III. 

Life  of  Cardinal  Cheverus,  from  his   Return  to  Franck, 
IN  1823,  TO  THE  Revolution  of  July,  1830. 

Proceeds  to  Auderville,  and  thence  to  Cherbourg      .             .  151 

Meets  an  ecclesiastical  Conference  at  Cherbourg              ,  152 

Reception  by  the  Authorities  of  that  City       .             .             .  152 

Preaches  there  in  French                 ....  153 

Proceeds  to  Paris.     His  Welcome  at  the  Metropolis              .  153 

Pronounces  several  Discourses  during  his  Stay    .             .  154 

Learns  the  Death  of  his  Sister             ....  154 

Goes  to  Mayenne.     Honors  paid  him  on  his  Arrival        .  155 

Funeral  Oration  on  M.  Souge                            .             .             .  156 

The  Eagerness  to  attend  on  his  Preaching            .             .  156 

His  pious  Labors  at  Mayenne                ....  157 

Letter  from  the  Pope  urging  him  to  return  to  Boston       .  159 

His  Reply.     The  Pope  consents  to  his  remaining  in  France  160 

Preaches  in  Paris  before  some  of  the  Nobility            .             .  161 

His  loyal  Sentiments           .....  162 

His  Right  to  Promotion  to  a  French  See  questioned              .  163 

His  spirited  Conduct  on  this  Occasion.     Receives  his  Bulls  163 

Takes  Measures  for  organizing  his  Seminary              .            .  163 

His  Arrival  in  his  Diocese.     Solemn  Entry  into  Montauban  164 


XX.  CONTENTS. 

Ceremony  at  the  Cathedral.     His  aflfectionate  Address         .  165 
He  organizes  his  Chapter   .             .             .             .             .167 

Measures  for  increasing  the  Solemnity  of  religious  Service  .  167 

Method  taken  to  instruct  his  Parishioners  in  the  Catechism  168 

Interchange  of  Visiis  with  the  Archbishop  of  Toulouse        .  169 

Visitation  of  his  Diocese    .....  170 

General  Affection  of  Catholics  and  Protestants  towards  him  171 

Reconciliation  of  Differences,  —  a  Mayor  and  his  Curate      .  171 
His  Benevolence  on  Occasion  of  an  Inundation  at  Montauban  172 

Charles  X.  expresses  Approbation  of  his  Conduct      .             .  174 

His  modest  Reply  to  a  Letter  on  this  Subject      .            .  175 

His  zealous  Labors  during  the  Jubilee            .             .             .  175 

Penitence  of  an  apostate  Priest       .             .            .             .  176 

Pious  Care  for  the  Soldiers  of  the  Garrison    .            .             .  177 

Is  appointed  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux        .             .             .  179 
Remonstrances  of  the  Montaubanese  and  of  the  Bishop  himself  179 

Strong  Attachment  of  his  Grand  Vicar           .             .             .  181 

Is  named  a  Peer  of  France.     His  Aversion  to  this  Dignity  182 

Declines  applying  for  the  ancient  Palace  of  the  Archbishops  183 

Receives  his  Bulls  in  Paris,  and  sets  off  for  Bordeaux            .  184 

Passes  through  Mans  where  he  receives  the  Pallium        .  185 

Preaches  an  extempore  Discourse  in  the  Cathedral  of  Mans  185 

Reception  at  Bordeaux.    Reply  to  the  Address  of  the  Clergy  186 

Addresses  to  the  Authorities  of  Bordeaux       .             .             .  187 

Rules  of  Conduct  prescribed  to  himself     .             .             .  188 

Universal  Kindness  and  Benevolence  his  first  Rule   .             .  188 

Respect  for  all  the  Acts  of  his  Predecessor  his  second  Rule  190 

His  Humility  in  View  of  the  late  Archbishop's  Virtues  191 
Pronounces  a  Eulogy  on  this  Prelate               .             .             .192 

Deliberation  as  to  all  official  Measures  his  third  Rule      .  193 

Visits  the  several  Parts  of  his  Diocese             .             ,             .  193 

Reconciles  a  Curate  with  his  Parishioners             .            .  195 

Establishes  a  Fund  for  the  Relief  of  aged  and  infirm  Priests  197 
His  own  liberal  Contribution  to  the  Fund       .            .             .198 

Regulations  in  regard  to  it               .            .            .            .  199 

Publishes  a  new  Edition  of  the  Ritual             .             ,            .  200 

His  Interest  in  his  Seminaries                    .            .            .  201 


CONTENTS.  XXI 

Character  of  his  Instructions  to  the  Students             .            .  202 

Cordial  Union  between  the  Superiors  and  himself            ,  202 

Encourages  the  Schools  of  Christian  Doctrine            .            .  203 

His  Lessons  of  Humility  to  the  Pupils      .             .             .  204 

Religious  Communities  for  the  Education  of  young  Girls  .  205 

Society  for  the  Distribution  of  good  Books  at  Bordeaux        .  205 

His  zealous  Efforts  in  Aid  of  it       .             .             .             .  206 

House  of  Refuge  and  Mercy  ;  an  especial  Object  of  his  Care  207 

Some  Account  of  the  Superior  of  this  Establishment              .  208 

His  tender  Interest  in  the  Hospitals           .             .             .  209 

His  Respect  for  the  Sisters  of  Charity             .             .             .  210 

Attendance  on  the  Chamber  of  Peers  in  Paris        .             .  211 

Attention  while  there  to  the  Concerns  of  his  Diocese             .  211 

Seventeen  Discourses  at  Conflans            .             .             .  212 

Preaches  at  the  Polytechnic  School                 ...  212 

Preaches  at  the  Irish  Seminary  in  English           .             .  213 

Charity  Sermon  before  the  Dauphiness          .             .             .  214 

Complimented  by  the  King  on  his  Success             .             .  214 

Frequent  Interviews  with  Charles  X.  Conversation  on  Liberty  215 

The  King  thinks  of  him  for  the  Cardinalship               .             .  216 

Universal  Consideration  enjoyed  by  the  Archbishop  at  Paris  216 

Appointed  President  of  the  Electoral  College  of  Mayenne     .  217 

Propriety  of  his  Conduct  in  this  Office       .            .             .  217 

Popular  Clamor  against  the  Jesuits            .             .             .  218 

Ordinances  against  the  Jesuits  and  the  lower  Seminaries       .  219 

The  Bishops  protest.  M.  Cheverus  declines  joining  with  them  219 

His  Motives  misconstrued.     His  Meekness  under  Reproach  220 

The  Jesuits  more  just  towards  him.  His  high  Regard  for  them  222 

Sends  Missionaries  into  various  Parts  of  his  Diocese              .  223 

Braves  the  Severity  of  Winter  to  visit  his  Country  Parishes  224 

His  Visits  of  Charity  at  Bordeaux        ....  225 

His  Advice  sought  at  his  Palace     ....  227 

Ladies  of  the  Mission                 .....  228 

His  disinterested  Conduct  in  relation  to  his  Nephew        .  229 

Agreeable  Visit  from  the  Abbe  Maccarthy      .             .             .  229 

Declines  the  Office  of  Minister  of  Ecclesiastical  Affairs  230 


Xxii  CONTENTS. 

Is  made  Counsellor  of  State,  and  a  Commander  of  the  Order 

of  the  Holy  Ghost 230 

Letter  of  M.  de  Peyronnet  announcing  this  Honor  .  231 

Political  Forebodings  of  the  Archbishop  .  .  .  231 


BOOK  IV. 

Life  of  Cardixal  Cheverus,  from  the  Revolution  of 
July,  1830,  to  his  last  Illness. 

The  Archbishop  maintains  Peace  in  his  Diocese         .  .  233 

Deference  to  his  Opinions  by  the  Authorities  of  Bordeaux  233 

His  Influence  in  Paris  and  at  Court  .  .  .  234 

The  Clergy  exempted  from  the  Oath  of  Fidelity  by  his  Means  235 

Declares  his  Determination  to  accept  no  Office  in  the  State  236 

His  Independence,  and  Freedom  from  ambitious  Views  .  237 

Universal  Charity  his  only  political  Creed      .  .  .  238 

His  Principles  of  Conduct  under  different  Governments  239 

His  Prudence  on  the  Subject  of  Politics  .  .  .  239 

Advice  to  his  Priests  on  this  Subject          .  .  .  240 

Diminution  of  his  Income  after  the  Revolution  of  July  .  241 

Lessens  his  Expenses,  so  that  he  may  continue  his  Charities  241 

His  undiminished  Hospitality  ....  242 

Regard  for  those  deprived  of  Rank  by  the  Revolution  of  July  242 

Friendly  Dispositions  of  the  new  Government  towards  him  243 
Concerts   Measures  for  the  Promotion  of  Religion  in  the 

Royal  College  of  Bordeaux       ....  243 

Success  of  these  Measures        .....  245 

Teaches  the  Catechism  at  the  Normal  School       .  .  246 

Offers  his  Palace  for  a  Hospital  during  the  Cholera  .  246 

Refutes  the  Reports  which  attributed  this  Malady  to  Poison  248 

Suppresses  a  Sedition  at  the  Poor-house  .  .  249 

Also  an  Insurrection  at  the  Fortress  of  Hal  .  .  249 

His  Grand  Vicar,  the  Abbe  de  Trelissac,  appointed  Bishop  of 

Montauban        ......  250 

Consecrates  him  Bishop,  together  with  two  others     .  .  253 


CONTENTS.  XXIU 

Anecdote  of  the  Bishop  of  Perigueux        .  .  .  253 

Visits  the  Diocese  of  Montauban  to  install  the  new  Bishop  .  254 
Enthusiastic  Reception  at  Montauban        .  .  .  255 

His  Emotion  and  touching  Discourse  on  this  Occasion  .     256 

Further  Expressions  of  Affection  and  Admiration  for  him  257 

Deathof  his  Grand  Vicar,  M.  Carle  .  .  .257 

Attack  of  Apoplexy.  Alarm  of  his  Friends.  His  own  View  of  it  258 
Appoints  his  Nephew  Grand  Vicar  ....  259 
Second  Attack  of  Apoplexy.     His  Energies  unimpaired  259 

Affecting  Account  of  two  Baptisms  ....  260 
His  Interest  in  the  Establishment  for  the  young  Savoyards  262 
Asylums  for  the  poor  Children  of  Bordeaux  .  .    264 

Ceremony  of  presenting  the  symbolical  Keys  of  these  Asylums  265 
Society  of  Rich  Children  the  Supporters  of  Poor  CJiildren  266 

The  Sisters  of  the  Presentation  .  .  .  .267 

Invited  to  Bordeaux  to  prepare  Teachers  for  the  Asylums  267 

Schools  for  the  Children  after  leaving  the  Asylums         .  268 

Institutions  for  poor  Orphans  ....  268 

Christian  Workshops  for  tlie  Youth  of  both  Sexes      .  .     269 

Indignation  of  the  People  at  an  Insult  to  the  Archbishop  270 

Respect  in  which  he  is  held  by  the  Jews.  The  Grand  Rabbi  271 
The  Government  again  think  of  making  him  Cardinal  .     272 

His  Efforts  to  prevent  it      .  .  .  .  .  272 

Letter  from  Louis  Philippe  to  the  Pope  on  this  Subject  .  273 
Favorable  Sentiments  of  the  Pope.  He  accedes  to  the  Request  274 
Letter  of  Thanks  from  the  King  to  the  Pope        .  .  275 

Gratulatory  Letter  of  the  Archbishop  of  Paris  to  M.  Cheverus  276 
His  modest  Reply  •••...     276 

Is  proclaimed  Cardinal.    Congratulations.    His  Distress  277 

Apostolical  Letters  of  Admission  to  the  Sacred  College  .  278 
The  Cardinal's  Reply  to  these  Letters       .  .  .  280 

Ceremony  of  the  Reception  of  the  Cardinal's  Hat     .  .     280 

Solicits  of  Louis  Philippe  the  Release  of  M.  de  Peyronnet  281 
Attentions  of  the  Archbishop  of  Paris         .  .  .  281 

Sadness  of  the  Cardinal  under  his  new  Dignity  .  .     282 

Returns  to  Bordeaux.     Magnificent  Reception    .  .  283 

Seventy-eight  Fishermen  of  his  Diocese  perish  in  a  Storm       284 


XXIV  CONTENTS. 

The  Cardinal's  benevolent  Efforts  in  Behalfof  their  Families  284 

Generosity  of  the  Royal  Family  and  others            .             .  286 

The  Cardinal  publishes  a  Diocesan  Code        .             .             ,  286 

Assists  two  illustrious  Spanish  Exiles        .             .             .  288 

Visits  the  Canton  of  Saint-Foy  in  a  Season  of  extreme  Heat  289 

His  excessive  Labors  and  Fatigues             .             .             .  290 

Unintermitted  Labors  on  his  Return  to  Bordeaux      .             .  290 

Sinks  under  these  accumulated  Duties      .             .             .  291 


BOOK  V. 

Chakacter  and  Death  of  Cardinal  Cheverus. 

Introductory  Remarks                .....  292 

Habits  of  Regularity  and  Method  in  the  Use  of  Time        .  293 
Early  Rising.     Morning    Devotions.     Study  of  the  Scrip- 
lures.     Official  Business    .....  294 

Dinner.     Hospitality.     Frugal     Table.     His    Ease,    Grace, 

and  agreeable  Conversation  as  Host          .             .             .  295 

Afternoon  Employments.     Supper.     Evening  Devotions  296 

Accessibleness  for  Business  at  all  Hours          .             .            .  297 

Regular  Attendance  on  all  religious  Services      .             .  297 
Habits  of  Punctuality    .             .             .             .             .             .297 

Aversion  to  Parties  and  frivolous  Amusements      .             .  298 

Never  walked  merely  for  Pleasure      ....  298 

Declined  Invitations  to  Repasts  abroad      .             .             .  299 

Rigid  Economy  of  Time          .....  299 

Change  of  Employment  his  sole  Relaxation        .             .  300 

His  Attainments  in  Learning.     Knowledge  of  Languages    .  301 

Acquaintance  with  History;  with  Controversial  Theology  302 

Familiarity  with  the  Scriptures            ....  303 

Fondness  for  St.  Chrysostom          ....  303 

His  Knowledge  of  Classical,  French,  and  English  Literature  304 

Estimate  of  modern  Authors.      Aversion  to  publishing  305 

Character  of  his  Mind.     Comprehensiveness,  Penetration    .  306 

His  Wit,  Readiness,  Grace,  and  Courteousness  of  Address  306 

Fairness,  Self-Distrust,  and  Cautiousness  of  his  Judgment  307 


CONTENTS.  XXV 

Qualities  of  his  Heart.     Grateful  Recollection  of  Benefits  307 

His  Sensibility.     His  Friendships               ...  308 

His  Ingenuousness,  Sincerity,  and  Simplicity             .             .  309 

His  Humility  and  Modesty              ....  311 

His  Patience  under  Injuries.  Advice  to  some  who  insulted  him  313 

His  Indifference  to  unfavorable  Judgments            .             .  314 

Freedom  from  Ambition.    Aversion  to  Honors  and  Dignities  314 

His  simple  Tastes.    Plain  and  unostentatious  Manner  of  Life  316 

Aversion  to  Attendance,  Ceremony,  Pomp,  and  Distinction  317 

Dignified  in  his  Simplicity               ....  318 

His  just  Estimate  of  Wealth.     Disinterestedness      .             .  320 

His  Liberality.     Cheerful  Submission  to  pecuniary  Losses  321 

His  Habits  of  Mortification  and  Self-Denial    .             .             .  322 

His  Spirit  of  Condescension,  Compliance,  and  Submission  324 

Charity  towards  Sinners,  and  those  whom  he  deemed  in  Error  326 

Strictness  as  to  Doctrines  and  Morals.     Views  of  Tolerance  327 

His  gentle,  equable,  and  pacific  Temper     .             .             .  328 

His  Gentleness  the  Secret  of  his  Influence     .             .             .  329 

His  Mildness  united  with  Firmness  and  Decision             .  330 

His  Humanity  to  Animals         .....  330 

His  Abhorrence  of  Detraction          ....  331 

Reluctance  to  think  ill  of  any.  Tenderness  for  others'  Feelings  332 

His  Attention  to  the  Ease  and  Happiness  of  his  Guests          .  333 

Charms  of  familiar  Intercourse  with  him   .            .             .  333 

Kind  and  considerate  to  his  Servants               .             .             .  334 

His  universal  Hospitality    .....  335 

His  Compassion  and  Sympathy  for  the  Afflicted         .            .  336 

This  the  Origin  of  his  closest  Intimacies                .             .  337 

Self- Reproach  for  any  Troubles  in  his  Diocese.     Anecdote  337 

His  Distress  in  preaching  on  Future  Punishment             .  338 

His  remarkable  Kindness  to  the  Sick               .            .            .  338 

His  respectful  and  delicate  Attentions  to  the  Aged           .  339 

His  Kindness   and  Charity  to  the  Poor        .             .            .  340 

Severe  Economy  and  personal  Sacrifices  for  this  Object  341 

Stated  Charities.     Discrimination  in  bestowing  Alms            .  341 

Contributes  to  every  public  and  private  philanthropic  Design  342 

His  humble  Estimate  of  his  own  Deeds  of  Benevolence        .  342 
C 


Xxvi  CONTENTS. 

Often  made  the  Almoner  of  the  Rich  .  .  .     342 

His  unwearied  Zeal  for  the  Salvation  of  Souls     .  .  843 

345 
346 
346 
346 
347 
347 
347 
348 
349 
350 


High  Motives  which  influenced  him  in  his  Nominations 

Constancy  of  his  Preaching 

Careful  Preparation  of  his  Sermons 

His  Feelings  of  Solicitude  in  the  Pulpit     . 

His  distinguished  Gifts  as  a  Preacher 

Unambitious  Character  of  his  Sermons 

His  Discourses  formed  onUhe  Model  of  the  Fathers  . 

Perspicuity  his  first  Aim.     Anecdote 

His  Condemnation  of  the  Romantic  Style 

Appropriateness  of  his  Discourses.     Examples 

Felicitous  Introduction  of  Scripture   Incidents.     Examples      353 

Illustrations  from  the  Teachings  and  Example  of  Jesus  Christ  355 

His  Appeals  to  the  Affections  ....     357 

Appeals  in  Behalf  of  the  Poor  and  the  Sick  .  .  359 

The  Cardinal's  Desire  for  a  sudden  Death       .  .  .     361 

Sudden  Attack  of  Apoplexy  and  Paralysis  .  .  362 

Extreme  Unction.     Prayers  in  all  the  Churches         .  .     362 

An  Altar  erected  in  his  Chamber    .  .  .  .  363 

Deep  and  general  Anxiety        .....     363 

Mass  celebrated  in  his  Chamber.     His  Death        .  .  364 

Universal  Sorrow  and  Lamentation     ....     364 

The  Body  laid  in  State.     The  Throng  of  People  to  see  it  365 

Their  Expressions  of  Love  and  Grief         .  ,  .  365 

The  Cardinal's  Preference  of  an  unostentatious  Burial  366 

Solemnity  and  Pomp  of  the  funeral  Rites  .  .  367 

Design  of  erecting  a  splendid  Monument  in  the  Cathedral        368 


Extract  from  Chateaubriand's  "  Genius  of  Christianity  "  .     369 

APPENDIX. 

Offer  of  Relief  from  the  English  Government            .  .    371 

M.  Cheverus's  Journeys  on  Foot    ....  371 

Attempt  of  a  Protestant  Clergyman  to  convert  him   .  .     371 


CONTENTS. 


XXVll 


Services  of  the  Catholics  of  Boston  in  the  last  War 

Confidence  of  Protestant  Ladies  in  M.  Cheverus 

His  Donations  to  the  Boston  Athenaeum 

His  Journeys  on  Foot  among  the  Indians 

His  high  Opinion  of  the  Character  of  the  Indians 

He  relates  numerous  Instances  of  their  Aifection  for  him 

The  Yellow  Fever  in  Boston 

Honor  paid  M.  Cheverus  in  Boston 

First  Catholic  Church  ia  Boston     . 

Letter  from  Bishop  Carroll  to  M.  Cheverus     . 

Case  of  the  two  Irishmen  convicted  of  Murder 

Anecdote  of  sawing  Wood  for  a  poor  Woman 

Invitations  to  preach  in  Protestant  Churches 

Letter  of  M.  Cheverus  in  Defence  of  his  Faith 

Kissing  of  the  Cross  by  Protestants 

Case  of  the  Infidel  Minister     . 

Conferences  with  Protestant  Ministers 

Conversions  among  the  Protestants 

Conversion  of  two  Protestant  Ministers 

Funeral  of  M.  Matignon 

The  Generous  Grocer 

Subscription  in  Boston  for  M.  Cheverus 

Mode  of  his  Departure  from  Boston 


372 
373 
373 
373 
373 
373 
374 
374 
375 
375 
379 
379 
380 
380 
386 
386 
387 
387 
387 
387 
388 
388 


ERRATA. 

Page  194,  line  17,  for  their  regularities,  read  the  irregularities 
«     220,  "    18,   ««   to  a  love,  *«    by  a  love 


LIFE  ^m,h^::^-^i 


CARDINAL    CHEVERUS 


BOOK    FIRST, 


from  the  birth  of  the  cardinal,  in  1768,  to  his  depart- 
ure from  france,  in  1792. 

Jean  Louis  Anne  Magdeleine  Lefebvre  de 
Cheverus  was  born  at  Mayenne,  the  capital  of  the 
ancient  province  of  the  Lower  Maine  (in  France), 
on  the  28th  of  January,  1768 ;  of  a  family,  in- 
vested, for  several  generations,  with  the  magistracy 
of  the  city,  and  honored  with  general  esteem  and 
confidence.  At  the  period  of  his  birth,  the  imme- 
diate family  of  the  Cardinal  consisted  of  three  broth- 
ers, who  held  at  once  all  the  principal  offices  in 
the  city  of  Mayenne.  The  eldest,  Louis  Rene  de 
Cheverus,  held  the  ecclesiastical  power,  as  rector  of 
the  principal  parish ;  the  second,  M.  de  Champorain, 
was  invested  with  the  civil  power,  as  mayor ;  and 
the  third,  Jean  Vincent  Marie  Lefebvre  de  Cheverus, 
the  father  of  the  Cardinal,  possessed  the  judicial  pow- 
1 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CIIEVERU3. 


er,  under  the  title  of  General  Civil  Judge  and  Lieu- 
tenant of  Police  of  the  city  and  duchy  of  Mayenne. 
The  mother  of  the  Cardinal,  Anne  Lemarchand 
des  Noyers,  was  one  of  those  rare  women  who  per- 
fectly understand  the  discipline  proper  for  childhood. 
While  she  deemed  it  unnecessary  to  follow  any  formal 
system,  the  best,  in  her  judgment,  was  the  most  sim- 
ple and  Christian.  Making  it  her  care  to  inculcate 
upon  her  children,  by  example,  even  more  than  by 
precept,  the  fear  of  God,  the  habit  of  prayer,  love 
of  their  neighbour,  charity  to  the  poor,  compassion 
for  the  afflicted,  and  a  love  for  whatever  is  good, 
honest,  and  virtuous,  she  succeeded  in  securing  alike 
their  obedience  and  affection.  She  never  had  re- 
course to  those  severe  reprimands,  which  sour  the 
disposition  instead  of  improving  it,  and  still  less  to 
corporal  punishment,  which  may  enforce  an  outward 
obedience,  indeed,  but  produces  no  change  in  the 
heart.  One  method  practised  by  her  was  well  wor- 
thy of  a  Christian  mother.  She  early  taught  her 
children  to  regard  as  the  greatest  of  punishments  an 
exclusion  from  family  prayers;  which,  according  to 
patriarchal  custom,  it  was  the  practice  to  offer  up 
every  evening.  If  a  child  had  committed  a  fault,  it 
was  sent  away  to  pray  by  itself,  as  being  unwor- 
thy to  unite  with  the  family  ;  and  the  fear  of  this 
punishment  kept  them  all  in  the  path  of  duty. 
M.  Cheverus,  the  father,  united  his  endeavours  to 
those  of  his  excellent  wife  ;  and,  like  her,  contributed 


HIS  BIRTH  AND  EARLY  EDUCATIOX.  3 

both  by  precept  and  example  to  the  right  education 
of  his  children. 

The  care  thus  bestowed  was  not  lost.  To 
say  nothing  of  the  great  and  eminent  virtues  which 
were  its  fruit,  *"  the  gratitude  and  affection  of  the 
children  were  a  sweet  recompense  to  the  parents, 
even  in  this  w^orld.  The  recollection  of  so  good 
a  mother,  especially,  was  cherished  in  the  hearts 
of  her  worthy  children,  dear  as  that  of  virtue  it- 
self. Even  to  the  latest  period  of  his  life,  the  Car- 
dinal never  spoke  of  her  but  with  veneration  and 
tenderness  ;  and  whenever,  from  the  pulpit,  he  en- 
larged upon  the  duties  of  mothers  towards  their  chil- 
dren, he  always  loved  to  cite  the  example  and  conduct 
of  his  own  mother.  On  one  occasion,  when  deliver- 
ing a  panegyric  on  the  character  of  Saint  Louis,  after 
describing  the  very  perfect  education  given  to  the 
sainted  king  by  his  mother.  Queen  Blanche,  and 
quoting  the  truly  Christian  words  which  she  often 
addressed  to  him,  —  "Mi/  son,  God  is  my  witness  how 
much  I  love  you;  yet  I  would  rather  see  you  dead 
than  guilty  of  a  single  mortal  sin" — he  blessed  Heav- 
en for  having  given  him  a  mother  of  like  spirit.  His 
fihal  heart  still  swelled  with  tenderness  and  gratitude  ; 

*  Two  sisters  of  the  Cardinal,  Madame  George  and  Madame 
Le  Jarrie],  Avho  died  before  him,  have  left  a  memory  which 
will  long  be  held  precious  by  mankind,  and  in  the  sight  of 
God  will  stand  forever  honored  by  the  eminent  sanctity  of 
their  lives. 


LIFE  OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 


and  people  involuntarily  exclaimed,  "  Happy  mother, 
whose  name  is  so  beautifully  hallowed  by  such  a 
son ! "  But  one  might  also  well  say,  "  Happy  son, 
whose  first  steps  in  life  were  guided  by  such  a  mother !" 
Receiving  instruction  with  docility,  young  Cheve- 
rus  exhibited,  from  earliest  childhood,  that  gentleness 
of  manner  and  amenity  of  disposition,  which  after- 
wards distinguished  him.  He  already  evinced  that 
absence  of  all  frivolity,  that  love  of  study,  that 
devotion  to  duty,  that  sagacity,  and  those  excellent 
qualities,  which  seemed  to  predict  the  elevation  he 
was  afterwards  to  attain  in  the  church.  His  virtuous 
mother,  -^  who  was  well  aware  that  the  innocence  of 
childhood  is  like  a  tender  flower,  which,  too  soon  trans- 
planted to  a  foreign  soil,  fades  and  dies, —  wished  to 
keep  him  under  her  own  eye  during  the  period 
of  his  early  studies;  and  it  was  therefore  decided, 
that  he  should  remain  under  the  paternal  roof,  and 
go  daily  to  the  college  in  the  city,  to  acquire  the 
rudiments  of  science.  The  young  student  devoted 
himself  assiduously  to  his  tasks ;  and  his  application, 
united  to  the  natural  quickness  of  his  understanding, 
secured  to  him,  from  the  first,  the  most  brilliant  suc- 
cess. Superior  to  all  his  companions,  he  encounter- 
ed but  one  rival,  young  Chapedelaine,  who  often 
disputed  the  first  place  with  him,  and  was  still  oftener 
vanquished  ;  not  because  he  was  inferior  in  natural 
talent,  but  from  the  want  of  application.  This  supe- 
riority did  not  make  him  proud  ;  modest  and  unas* 


HIS  FIRST  COMMUNION.  5 

suming,  he  was  the  friend  of  all^  a  pleasant  compan- 
ion, amusing  himself  indiscriminately  with  all,  in  the 
sports  of  their  choice.  To  see  him  running  and  frol- 
icking in  play  hours,  he  might  have  been  taken  for 
the  merriest  of  them  all ;  as,  when  engaged  in  study, 
he  would  have  been  selected  as  the  most  diligent. 
Because,  in  truth,  he  knew  how  to  do  all  things  well; 
to  play  heartily  in  the  season  of  relaxation,  and  to 
study  hard  when  it  was  requisite. 

At  the  age  of  eleven  years^  he  was  thought  suita- 
bly prepared  to  be  admitted  to  his  first  communion. 
His  pious  parents  had  long  been  fitting  him  for 
this  important  occasion.  They  had  taught  him  to 
look  forward  to  it  as  the  highest  happiness,  the  end 
of  all  his  efforts,  the  most  powerful  motive  to  do 
every  thing  well ;  and  the  pious  young  man  entered 
with  his  whole  soul  into  the  views  proposed  to  him. 
Thus  the  reception  of  the  sacrament  made  the  deep- 
est impression  upon  his  tender  and  susceptible  heart. 
Touched  with  the  love  of  his  God,  he  renounced  all 
worldly  hopes,  and  desired  only  to  lead  a  iife  of  char- 
ity and  prayer,  his  strongest  inclination  being  to  enter 
the  ecclesiastical  profession.  He  made  known  his 
wishes  on  this  subject  to  his  mother,  from  whom  he 
concealed  nothing.  And  this  second  Hannah,  happy 
that  she  could  consecrate  to  God  another  Samuel, 
made  it  her  only  care  to  cherish  such  holy  aspira- 
tions. 

The  following  year,  he  received  the  tonsure  at 
1* 


6  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL   CIIEVERUS. 

Mayenne,  in  the  church  of  Calvary,  from  the  hands 
of  JNIonseigneur  Herce,  Bishop  of  Dol,  at  the  same 
time  with  the  friend  of  his  childhood,  and  rival  of 
his  studies,  young  Chapedelaine,  vsrho  bid  fair  to  be- 
come, one  day,  the  honor  and  pride  of  the  priesthood ; 
but  just  as  he  had  completed  his  ecclesiastical  stud- 
ies at  the  College  of  St.  Sulpice,  in  Paris,  the  church 
wd.s  deprived  of  his  services  by  death. 

The  young  priest  did  honor  to  the  robes  with 
which  he  had  just  been  invested.  Those  advanced 
in  years  still  recollect  his  constant  attendance,  ar- 
rayed in  his  surplice,  on  the  services  of  the  church  ; 
his  devout  demeanor,  while  thus  engaged ;  and  the 
grace  and  exactness  with  which  he  performed  all 
the  ceremonies  intrusted  to  his  care.  His  piety, 
instead  of  interfering  with  his  studies,  crowned  them 
with  speedier  success,  by  enkindling  in  his  soul  a 
more  ardent  love  of  duty,  and  rendering  his  mind 
more  intent  to  understand  and  to  learn.  About  this 
time,  Monseigneur  de  Gonsans,  Bishop  of  Mans, 
came  to  Mayenne ;  and  M.  Cheverus,  the  father, 
introduced  to  him  the  young  Abbe,  recently  admitted 
to  clerical  orders.  The  Bishop  examined  him  with 
attention  and  interest,  and  was  so  charmed  with  his 
piety,  his  amiable  disposition,  his  ingenuousness,  and 
love  of  science,  that  he  offered  his  father  a  fellow- 
ship in  the  College  of  Louis-le-Grand,  in  Paris,  of 
which  the  diocese  of  Mans  possessed  the  sole  dis- 
posal.     M.    Cheverus,   wishing   his    son    to   engage 


APPOINTED    PRIOR   OF   TORBECHET.  7 

in  a  higher  course  of  study  than  was  pursued  in  the 
College  of  Mayenne,  and  better  suited  to  his  distin- 
guished talents,  accepted  this  offer,  with  gratitude, 
and  promised  to  send  him  to  Paris  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the   approaching  term. 

Soon  after  this,  the  celebrated  advocate  Gerbier,  a 
member  of  the  council  of  Monsieur ,  afterwards  Louis 
the  Eighteenth,  visited  Mayenne.  He  became  ex- 
tremely interested  in  the  young  Abbe  Cheverus  ;  and, 
anxious  to  perform  some  act  of  kindness  to  a  family 
so  honorable,  and  so  worthy  of  the  favor  of  their 
princes,  he  promised  M.  Cheverus  to  solicit  for  his 
son  one  of  the  benefices  which  were  in  the  gift  of 
Monsieur,  He  fulfilled  his  promise  ;  and  the  young 
Abbe  Cheverus  was  appointed  by  Monsieur,  prior 
of  Torbechet,  with  the  title  of  his  Chaplain  Extra- 
ordinary. This  priory,  situated  some  leagues  from 
Mayenne,  yielded  but  a  trifling  emolument,  affording, 
at  most,  an  income  of  eight  hundred  livres.  It  be- 
came, however,  the  subject  of  a  lawsuit,  which  was 
contested  for  many  years.  The  Abbe  Cheverus, 
then,  as  ever,  the  friend  of  peace,  and  entirely  op- 
posed to  the  spirit  of  strife,  suffered  long  from  this 
dispute,  and  was  desirous  of  terminating  it  amicably  ; 
but  his  lawyer,  fully  confident  of  success,  warmly  op- 
posed any  compromise,  and  enjoyed  in  anticipation 
the  honor  of  victory.  The  young  Prior,  weary  of 
delay,  deprived  him  of  this  pleasure,  and  terminated 
the  controversy  at  once,  by   voluntarily  surrendering 


8  LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

his  rights,  at  the  very  moment  when  the  affair  seem- 
ed about  to  be  brought  to  a  close.  Being  asked 
afterwards,  why  he  had  not  suffered  the  suit  to  go 
on,  since  he  was  sure  of  gaining  his  cause,  he  made 
this  noble  reply,  in  accordance  with  the  goodness  of 
his  heart ;  "  Because,  in  gaining  the  cause,  I  should 
have  ruined  my  adversary."  This  answer  was  far 
from  satisfying  his  lawyer,  who  was  very  angry  when 
he  heard  how  the  affair  was  settled,  and  took  such 
offence,  that,  after  the  lapse  of  forty  years,  he  could 
hardly  overlook  it.  The  Cardinal  amused  himself 
with  repeating  the  renewed  reproaches  he  received 
from  his  old  advocate,  on  his  return  to  France. 

The  emoluments  of  the  Priory  ofTorbechet,  al- 
though small,  were  sufficient  for  the  moderate  desires 
of  the  Abbe  Cheverus,  and  supported  him  during  the 
whole  time  he  was  pursuing  his  studies.  He  perform- 
ed no  less  faithfully,  on  this  account,  the  duties  of  his 
office,  which  consisted  in  repeating  daily  the  pray- 
ers to  the  Holy  Virgin.  This  exercise,  in  fact,  re- 
freshed his  piety,  and  he  regarded  it  as  a  preparation 
for  officiating  at  public  prayers,  a  ministration  to  which 
he  would  at  a  future  period  be  called. 

In  August,  1781,  he  finished  his  studies  at  the 
College  of  Mayenne,  and  gained,  as  usual,  several 
prizes.  After  some  weeks  of  repose  and  relaxa- 
tion, M.  Ci.overus  concluded  to  take  him  to  Paris, 
that  he  might  pursue  his  studies  at  the  College  of 
Louis-le-Grand,    which  presented    a   wider   field    for 


ENTERS   THE   COLLEGE  OP   LOUIS-LE-GRAND.  9 

the  exercise  of  his  talents.  On  his  way  he  visited 
Mans,  where  he  presented  him  again  to  the  Bishop, 
who  received  him  with  renewed  satisfaction,  and,  on 
becoming  better  acquainted  with  him,  felt  a  more 
lively  interest  in  him,  and  entertained  more  exalt- 
ed hopes  for  the  church.  He  confirmed  the  prom- 
ise of  a  fellowship,  which  he  had  given  him  some 
lime  before,  and  condescended  to  say  that  he  would 
visit  him  at  the  college,  whenever  business  should 
call  him  to  Paris.  M.  Cheverus  took  leave,  much 
pleased  with  the  flattering  and  gracious  reception 
his  son  had  met  with,  and  set  out  for  Paris.  The 
first  thing  he  did,  after  his  arrival  in  that  city,  was 
to  go  and  offer  his  thanks  to  the  advocate  Ger- 
bier,  who  had  obtained  for  the  Abbe  Cheverus  the 
Priory  of  Torbechet.  Gerbier  wished  to  present  the 
Abbe  to  Monsieur,  as  his  Chaplain  Extraordinary,  a 
title-  appended  to  the  Priory.  The  Prince  was  very 
much  diverted  at  the  idea  of  the  office  of  chaplain 
being  held  by  a  child  of  thirteen,  who  was  so  small 
that  he  did  not  look  more  than  ten  ;  but  the  animat- 
ed and  intelligent  countenance  of  this  child,  his  can- 
dor, and  amiable  manners,  charmed  him  ;  and  he  dis- 
missed him  with  manifestations  of  the  most  tender 
interest. 

From  his  first  entrance  into  the  College  of  Louis- 
le-Grand,  the  Abbe  Cheverus  was  put  to  the  most 
severe  test  to  which  a  young  man  can  be  subjected, 
on  leaving  for  the  first  time  the  paternal  roof.     This 


10  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

college,  once  the  school  of  so  many  virtues,  as  well 
as  the  theatre  of  so  much  talent,  was  no  longer  what 
it  had  been.  The  directors  of  the  establishment, 
imbued  with  all  those  new  notions  which  were  in  a 
few  years  to  bring  upon  France  such  an  accumula- 
tion of  crime,  misfortune,  and  ruin,  wished  that  the 
young  should  participate  in  that  unrestrained  liberty 
of  thought,  speech,  and  action,  which  was  every- 
where cried  up.  Consequently,  the  injunctions  to 
silence  were  removed,  and  numerous  religious  exer- 
cises were  dispensed  with,  as  useless  in  educating 
men  of  the  world  ;  serviceable,  at  best,  only  for  train- 
ing up  monks.  These  innovations  soon  brought  forth 
their  natural  fruits,  and  the  reformers  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  witness  the  results  of  their  labors.  Having 
full  liberty  of  talking,  the  students  soon  became  un- 
steady and  idle.  From  idleness,  they  proceeded  to 
offences  of  a  graver  character  ;  and,  religious  exercises 
no  longer  recurring  at  stated  intervals  through  the 
day,  to  recall  the  erring  heart  to  duty,  the  college 
ceased  to  be  that  well-ordered  institution,  which  had 
given  so  many  good  citizens  to  the  state,  and  so  many 
good  Christians  to  the  church. 

In  a  position  so  critical,  the  young  Abbe  Chev- 
erus  was  enabled  to  withstand  the  temptation  of  evil 
example,  and  to  show  himself,  what  he  always  had 
been,  and  what  he  always  continued  to  be,  pious, 
modest,  correct,  diligent  in  his  studies,  and  attentive 
to  all  his  duties.     He  received  the  sjcrament  every 


HIS  CHOICE  OF  FRIENDS.  1  1 

eight  days,  performed  his  devotions  reverently,  and 
attended  to  his  religious  exercises  with  a  constancy, 
modest  yet  fearless,  self-possessed  and  unaffected, 
which  strikingly  contrasted  with  the  frivolity  and  inat- 
tention of  the  others.  Yet  this  conduct  was  accom- 
panied with  so  much  kindness  and  amenity  towards 
his  fellows,  with  so  much  talent  and  success,  that 
all  were  constrained  to  esteem,  to  love,  and  to  ven- 
erate him.  Amiable  and  indulgent  towards  others, 
as  he  was  severe  towards  himself,  he  captivated  all 
hearts,  and  all  were  anxious  to  be  numbered  among 
his  friends.  His  innocent  simplicity  and  candor  were 
peculiarly  striking  ;  and  such  was  the  purity  of  his 
morals,  that  he  had  no  suspicion  of  evil ;  nor  could 
he  conceive  the  cause  of  that  strict  vigilance,  which 
was  exercised  in  the  dormitories  during  the  night. 

This  excellent  young  man  was  sensible,  however, 
that,  in  the  novel  situation  in  which  he  was  placed, 
he  stood  in  need  of  a  trusty  and  an  enlightened  guide  ; 
one  in  whom  he  could  repose  confidence,  to  whom 
he  could  open  freely  his  whole  heart,  and  from  whom 
he  might  receive  instructions  that  would  make  up 
for  his  want  of  experience,  advice  to  sustain  his 
weakness,  and  who  would  supply  incentives  to  renew- 
ed zeal.  With  this  view,  he  selected  the  Abbe 
Auge,  now  Principal  of  the  College  of  Stanislas,  in 
Paris.  In  the  instructions  and  example,  in  the  ten- 
der and  affectionate  piety  of  this  new  Ananias,  he 
found  all  that  he  could    desire ;    kindness  to  which 


12  LIFE    OF    CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

he  was  ever  welcome,  wise  counsels,  and  the  nicest 
judgment  in  directing  and  forming  the  character  of 
youth.  Besides  the  aid  to  be  derived  from  a  judi- 
cious adviser,  he  wanted  the  assistance  of  a  virtuous 
friend,  to  uphold  him  by  advice  and  example,  in  the 
slippery  path  he  was  called  to  tread.  His  choice 
fell  upon  a  young  student,  already  admired  and  loved 
by  every  one,  the  Abbe  Legris-Duval,  whose  name 
recalls  all  that  is  amiable  and  pious ;  and  who,  after- 
wards, for  many  years,  in  the  heart  of  the  capi- 
tal, was  the  soul  of  every  good  work.  The  Abbe 
Cheverus,  therefore,  sought  him  out ;  and,  from  their 
first  interview,  these  two  souls  understood,  esteemed, 
and  loved  each  other.  Hearts  so  similar  became 
united  to  each  other  in  the  tenderest  friendship.*  But 
it  was  a  friendship  in  which  there  was  nothing  exclu- 
sive, because  it  was  founded  upon  virtue,  or  rather, 
was  the  growth  of  virtue   itself. 

In  their  mutual  friendship  for  mutual  improvement, 
they  were  careful  to  make  themselves  agreeable  to 
all  their  fellow  students ;  and,  as  if  they  had  under- 

*  In  1824,  Monseigneur  Cheveras,  preaching  in  Paris,  on 
the  subject  of  French  Missions,  which  the  Abb^  Legris- 
Duval  had  aided  in  establishing,  still  delighted  to  recall  his 
former  intimacy  with  so  excellent  a  friend.  "He  honored 
me,"  he  says  in  his  discourse,  "  with  his  friendship ;  and,  in 
his  youth,  condescended  to  make  me  the  companion  of  his 
pious  and  zealous  labors.  Blessed  friend!  may  I  be  your 
echo,  at  this  time,  and  all  hearts  shall  be  touched,  and  your 
work  perpetuated!" 


HIS   CHOICE   OP   FRIENDS.  13 

taken  to  prove  to  them  how  amiable  true  virtue  is, 
and  how  studious  to  promote  the  happiness  of  every- 
one within  its  influence,  they  joined  in  all  their  sports, 
in  their  various  modes  of  recreation,  of  which  they 
often  constituted  the  life  and  charm.*  Thus  there 
was  not  an  individual  in  college,  but  made  warm  pro- 
fessions of  friendship  j  a  friendship  so  cordial  and  true, 
that  every  opportunity  was  eagerly  seized  upon  to 
prove  to  them  its  sincerity,  even  after  the  lapse  of 
many  years.  When,  in  1793,  at  the  height  of  the 
revolutionary  tempest,  the  Abbe  Legris-Duval  pre- 
sented himself  before  the  sanguinary  judges  of  every 
thing  good  and  virtuous,  to  ask  permission  to  offer 
his  ministrations  and  pious  consolation  to  Louis  the 
Sixteenth,  then  condemned  to  death,  he  was  per- 
mitted to  withdraw  free  and  unmolested,  under  cir- 
cumstances which  would  have  cost  any  other  person 
his  life  ;  because  these  judges,  formerly  students  of 
Louis-le-Grand,  could  not  banish  from  their  breasts  the 

*  Cardinal  Cheverus  delighted  to  relate,  even  in  the  last 
years  of  his  life,  how  he,  with  his  excellent  friend,  had  con- 
tributed to  the  college  amusements.  He  said,  among  other 
things,  that,  one  year,  on  Ash- Wednesday,  the  Abbe  Legris 
pronounced  a  funeral  oration  on  the  departed  Carnival,  and 
took  for  his  text  this  passage  from  the  Odes  of  Horace  : 
^'■Mullis  ille  bonis Jlebilis  occidit"  (1.25.);  "He  is  dead,  la- 
mented by  many  good  men."  Whereupon  a  wag,  turning  to 
one  of  his  comrades,  remarkable  for  his  enormous  appetite, 
repeated  the  next  verse,  ^^ JVulli  Jlebilior  gutlm  tibi;^^  "By 
none  more  than  thee." 
2 


14  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

veneration  and  affection  which  the  virtues  of  the  Abbe 
had  inspired.  And  when,  in  1823,  Monseigneur 
Cheverus  returned  to  France,  he  was  welcomed  with 
rapture  by  all  his  old  college  companions,  who  lav- 
ished upon  him  every  attention,  so  delightful  was  the 
impression  he  had  left  on  their  minds. 

But  if  the  amiable  character  of  the  Abbe  Chev* 
erus  made  Virtue  lovely,  she  derived  honor  also 
from '  his  talents,  of  which  every  recitation,  so  to 
speak,  gave  new  proofs.  Possessed  of  an  astonishing 
memory,  he  always  made  himself  perfectly  acquainted 
with  the  lessons  assigned  him,  remembered  the  expla- 
nations and  instructions  of  his  teachers,  and  never  forgot 
what  he  had  once  learned.  Gifted  with  equal  quick- 
ness of  intellect,  he  could  master  the  difficulties  of 
a  subject,  detect  the  true  sense  of  an  obscure  pas- 
sage, present  the  equivalent  thought,  and  find  the  most 
suitable  word  to  express  it.  With  an  elegant  and 
refined  taste,  he  could  appreciate  the  beauties  of  lit- 
erature, introduce  them  appropriately  into  his  own 
compositions,  and  store  them  up  in  his  mind,  less  by 
an  effort  of  memory  than  by  a  ready  intelligence, 
which,  receiving  vivid  impressions,  retained  them  per- 
manently. Such  were  the  qualities  which,  seconded 
by  constant  application,  secured  to  him  the  highest 
rank  in  every  class,  and  gained  him,  at  the  end  of 
each  year,  the  most  honorable  prizes.  The  Princi- 
pal of  the  College  esteemed  himself  happy  in  pos- 
sessing such  a  pupil,  said  openly,  that  he  was  the  best 
member  of  the   institution,  and   compared  him  only 


HIS  TALENTS  AND  SUCCESS.  15 

with  the  Abbe  Legris-Duval,  who  was,  perhaps,  his 
equal  in  talent,  as  well  as  in  virtue.  Such  was  the 
character  he  delighted  to  give  of  him  to  all  who 
spoke  to  him  of  the  Abbe  Cheverus ;  and  especial- 
ly to  Monseigneur  de  Gonsans,  Bishop  of  Mans, 
when,  true  to  his  word,  he  came  to  visit  him  at  the 
college.  The  Bishop,  charmed  with  this  account,  re- 
ported it  at  Mans,  and  communicated  to  all  about 
him,  many  of  whom  are  still  living,  his  delight  and 
his  hopes.  "  My  little  Abbe  Cheverus,"  said  he, 
"  will  one  day  be  the  first  subject  of  my  diocese." 

In  this  manner  the  Abbe  Cheverus  passed  through 
his  course  of  study  at  the  College  of  Louis-le-Grand, 
with  the  same  piety  and  literary  success,  except,  that, 
every  year,  his  instructers  were  more  and  more  pleas- 
ed with  him.  When  he  entered  on  the  study  of 
philosophy,  he  was  as  much  distinguished  as  he  had 
been  in  belles-lettres ;  and  the  soundness  of  his  judg- 
ment seemed  to  equal  the  elegance  of  his  fancy. 
When  the  professor  was  ill,  or  prevented  by  other 
occupations  from  giving  lessons,  the  Abbe  Cheverus 
supplied  his  place,  and  always  acquitted  himself  hon- 
orably of  this  duty.  The  scholar  was  but  little  infe- 
rior to  the  master. 

At  that  time  there  existed  a  custom,  according  to 
which  every  licentiate  in  theology,  who  wished  to 
obtain  the  rank  of  Doctor,  was  obliged  to  present  a 
young  man,  whom  he  was  reputed  to  have  educated, 
to  hold   a  public  disputation  on   a  given  subject;   in 


16  LIFE    OF    CAEDINAL   CIIEVERUS. 

order  to  prove,  by  the  answers  of  the  pupil,  the 
learning  and  merits  of  his  teacher.  Although  this 
custom,  which  certainly  had  a  useful  purpose  in  for- 
mer times,  rested  then  on  a  mere  fiction,  since  it 
was  notorious  that  no  doctor  had  educated  the  pu- 
pil whom  he  presented  ;  the  university,  nevertheless, 
adhered  to  the  practice,  and  compelled  all  aspirants 
to  a  doctorate  to  conform  to  it.  M.  Auge,  who  had 
completed  his  course  of  studies  as  licentiate,  and  who 
had  only  the  degree  of  Doctor  to  take,  proposed  to 
the  Abbe  Cheverus  to  maintain  the  customary  thesis. 
The  obligations  he  felt  himself  under  to  M.  Auge 
did  not  permit  him  to  hesitate  for  a  moment.  He 
prepared  himself,  and,  on  the  2lst  of  July,  1786, 
appeared  in  public,  maintained  his  thesis,  alleged  his 
proofs,  and  replied  to  the  objections  raised,  with  as- 
tonishing facility  of  elocution,  and  a  correctness  of 
reasoning  that  equalled  the  elegance  of  his  language ; 
so  that  this  service,  which  was  agreeable  to  his  feel- 
ings, was  still  more  honorable  to  his  talents. 

But  worldly  glory  did  not  satisfy  him ;  his  thoughts 
soared  higher.  Wholly  occupied  with  the  profession 
he  had  chosen,  and  with  the  means  of  preparing 
himself  for  it,  he  judged  it  better  for  him  to  enter  a 
seminary  than  to  remain  at  college  ;  as  the  more  strict 
discipline,  the  more  frequent  and  appropriate  devotion- 
al exercises,  and  the  more  serious  and  diligent  mode 
of  life  pursued  at  the  seminary,  would  better  prepare 
him  for  the  holy  office  to  which  he  aspired.     While 


ENTERS  THE  SEMINARY  OF  SAINT  MAGLOIRE.  17 

intent  on  these  thoughts,  he  learned  that  an  exami- 
nation of  candidates  for  vacant  places  at  the  Semi- 
nary of  Saint  Magloire,  in  Paris,  was  about  to  take 
place.  He  presented  himself,  and,  without  any  opposi- 
tion, obtained  the  first  place.  His  entrance  into  this 
estabhshment  was  a  glorious  event  for  him.  It  was  like 
entering  a  new  "  upper-room,"  where  he  was  to  pre- 
pare himself  for  the  reception  of  the  spirit  of  the 
priesthood  ;  and  he  consequently  carried  there  a 
stronger  love  of  duty,  and  more  ardent  desires  after 
perfection.  He  was  already  well  known,  and  his 
reputation  was  established  in  this  seminary,  before  he 
came  there ;  but,  on  a  nearer  view  of  such  excellence 
?ind  simplicity  united  to  so  great  merit,  both  masters 
and  scholars  were  agreeably  surprised  ;  and  were  in- 
spired w^ith  an  esteem,  an  affection,  and,  we  may  even 
say,  a  tenderness  for  him,  the  true  cause  of  which 
he  alone  never  suspected.  As  his  modesty  blinded 
him  to  his  own  merits,  he  attributed  all  these  affec- 
tionate attentions  to  the  goodness  of  the  Fathers  of 
the  Oratory,  who  had  the  direction  of  the  establish- 
ment, and  to  the  benevolence  of  the  candidates  livino; 
there.  During  the  whole  course  of  his  life,  he  never 
spoke  of  the  inmates  of  Saint  Magloire,  but  with  ten- 
derness and  gratitude.  He  spoke  of  them  in  the 
highest  terms  of  praise,  on  every  occasion ;  and  took 
great  pleasure  in  relating  their  kind  acts  towards  him- 
self, and  in  dwelling  on  the  happiness  he  had  enjoyed 
among  them.  "  Blessed  years,  passed  at  the  Semi- 
2* 


18  LIFE    OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

nary,"  said  he,  "  the  fairest  of  iny  life !  Happy  days, 
when  my  duties  were  so  easy,  my  life  so  serene,  my 
soul  so  tranquil,  and  everybody  so  kind  and  so  in- 
dulgent to  me  ! ''  In  this  agreeable  retreat  he  de- 
voted himself  wholly  to  ecclesiastical  studies,  to  the 
exclusion  of  all  others. 

There  was,  at  this  time,  in  the  Seminary  of  Saint 
Magloire,  one  of  the  sons  of  the  distinguished  Lord 
Maccarlhy,  who,  persecuted  for  his  religion  in  Ire- 
land, had  fled  to  France,  and  there  collected,  at  a  great 
expense,  one  of  the  most  curious  libraries  in  the 
world,  the  celebrated  Abbe  Maccarthy,  who  after- 
wards became  the  first  preacher  of  the  age,  and  died, 
some  years  since,  a  Jesuit.  He  admired  the  excellent 
qualities  of  the  Abbe  Cheverus,  to  whom  he  was 
united  by  the  closest  ties  of  intimacy.  He  often 
urged  the  proposal  to  teach  him  the  English  lan- 
guage, the  beauty  and  value  of  which  he  highly  ex- 
tolled. But  the  scrupulous  student  always  refused  ; 
alleging,  that  usefulness  to  the  church,  and  not  the 
gratification  of  a  vain  curiosity,  ought  to  be  the  only 
end  of  his  labors  ;  that  this  language  would  be  of  no 
service  to  him  in  the  clerical  profession,  and  that  his 
time  would  be  better  employed  in  the  study  of  the 
sciences,  which  had  a  direct  and  immediate  refer- 
ence to  his  vocation. 

He  now  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  ecclesiasti- 
cal studies.  He  began,  at  this  time,  to  feast  his  soul 
with  the  study  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures  ;  these  were 


HIS  ECCLESIASTICAL  STUDIES.  19 

his  delight,  his  most  pleasant  recreation.  He  often 
bedewed  with  his  tears  the  sacred  pages,  and  was 
never  weary  of  admiring  their  sublime  and  touching 
beauties.  From  the  Bible,  he  passed  to  ecclesiastical 
history,  and  delighted  to  trace  in  the  simple  and  noble 
pages  of  Fleury,  the  progress  of  religion,  the  errors  of 
heresy,  the  virtues  of  the  saints,  and  the  develope- 
ment  of  discipline.  He  kept  up  the  knowledge  he 
possessed  of  the  Greek,  by  reading  daily  the  Fathers 
of  the  Church,  who  have  written  in  that  language  ; 
and  he  soon  added  to  this  a  knowledge  of  the  He- 
brew, that  he  might  be  able  to  study  the  Bible  at  the 
pure  fountain-head  of  the  original  language.  But  his 
principal  occupation,  that  which  engrossed  him  more 
than  all  the  pursuits  which  have  been  mentioned,  was 
the  study  of  theology;  because  he  understood  its  su- 
preme importance,  whether  as  furnishing  a  key  to  all 
other  ecclesiastical  sciences,  or  as  an  aid  in  preach- 
ing religion,  in  proving  and  defending  it,  or  in  guiding 
the  faithful,  and  resolving  their  doubts. 

At  that  time,  all  the  seminaries  of  Paris  were 
obliged  to  send  their  pupils  to  the  Sorbonne,  that 
they  might  be  present  at  the  lectures  there  given  ;  but 
it  was  well  understood,  that  this  was  not  the  place  to 
learn  theology,  and  that  the  private  conferences,  which 
took  place  in  each  seminary,  were  amply  sufficient  for 
those  who  wished  to  study  it ;  so  that  even  the  best 
pupils  did  not  hesitate  to  talk  and  make  a  noise  during 
the  performance,  regarding   the   exercise   as  a  mere 


20  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

matter  of  form,  or  rather  as  an  opportunity  for  amuse- 
ment. The  professor  spoke,  but  no  one  listened  ;  he 
read  his  lecture,  but,  amid  the  noise  and  confusion  of 
the  crowd  of  students,  assembled  from  so  many  different 
institutions,  it  was  impossible  to  understand  what  he 
said.  The  Abbe  Cheverus  did  not  imitate  the  multi- 
tude ;  he  endeavoured  to  learn  all  he  could  in  this 
tumultuous  school,  and  to  give  some  satisfaction  to 
the  professors,  who  found  so  little  in  others.  He 
placed  himself  near  the  speakers,  that  he  might  hear 
better,  complied  with  all  their  wishes,  and  composed, 
on  the  various  subjects  assigned  him,  interesting  dis- 
sertations, remarkable  alike  for  powerful  thought  and 
elegant  language. 

When  he  was  invited  to  discourse,  either  at  the 
Sorbonne,  or  in  the  different  seminaries  of  the  cap- 
ital, he  always  acquitted  himself  with  a  facility  and 
grace  of  elocution,  that  was  universally  admired,  and 
which  is  even  now  fresh  in  the  recollection  of  his  old 
fellow  students.  In  order  to  attain  greater  purity  and 
elegance  of  language,  he  made  himself  perfectly  fa- 
miliar with  the  treatise  De  Locis  Theologicis,  of  Mel- 
chior  Canus,  who,  of  all  the  theologians,  wrote  the 
Latin  language  most  perfectly ;  adopted  his  style  and 
manner,  or  rather,  may  be  said  to  have  improved  upon 
it.  For,  moreover,  such  was  his  familiarity  with  all 
the  philosophical  works  of  Cicero,  that  he  interwove 
in  his  discourses  all  the  graces  of  the  Roman  orator ; 
and,  as  occasion  required,  could  borrow,  now  the  most 


HE   IS   ADMITTED   TO    PRIEST'S   ORDERS.  21 

felicitous  allusions,  and  now  the  turns  of  expression 
most  analogous  to  the  genius  of  the  Latin  language. 
He  carried  this  branch  of  study  to  such  an  extent, 
that  he  has  often  been  heard,  in  after-life,  to  reproach 
himself  for  having  devoted  to  these  niceties  of  lan- 
guage so  much  time,  which,  he  said,  might  have  been 
more  usefully  employed  in  the  acquisition  of  other 
kinds  of  knowledge. 

In  this  manner  M.  Cheverus  completed  his  course  of 
theological  studies,  giving  pleasure  and  satisfaction  to 
his  instructers.  M.  Emery,  the  Superior  General  of 
Saint  Sulpice,  happening,  about  this  time,  to  make 
his  acquaintance,  quickly  discerned  and  justly"^  ap- 
preciated his  rare  merit,  and  made  him  the  offer 
of  a  place  in  his  seminary,  free  of  expense ;  but  his 
gratitude  to  the  Directors  of  Saint  Magloire  would 
not  allow  him  to  take  advantage  of  an  offer  so  honor- 
able to  him;  he  was  too  much  attached  to  his  old 
instructers  to  leave  them. 

He  had  commenced  the  second  year  of  his  licen- 
ciate,  and  was  ordained  Deacon,  in  the  month  of 
October,  1790,  when  Monseigneur  de  Gonsans, 
Bishop  of  Mans,  seeing  the  gathering  storm,  which 
was  about  to  burst  upon  the  church,  perhaps  to  dis- 
perse the  bishops,  and  render  ordination  impossible 
or  at  least  very  difficult,  and  sensible  besides  how 
useful  a  priest  of  M.  Cheverus's  merits  would  be,  in 
such  critical  times,  procured  from  Rome,  without  his 
knowledge,  a  dispensation  as  to  age,  and  sent  it  to  him, 


22  LFFE   OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

with  his  earnest  request,  that  he  would  receive  priest's 
orders  at  the  next  ordination.  It  required  some  cour- 
age to  accept  this  proposal,  at  so  dangerous  and 
threatening  a  period.  The  property  of  the  clergy 
had  been  seized,  the  Civil  Constitution  decreed,  and 
an  oath  required  of  all  priests  in  office,  under  penalty 
of  ejectment.  Nothing  was  to  be  expected,  then, 
from  taking  priest's  orders,  but  poverty,  persecution, 
and  death.  M.  Cheverus  did  not  hesitate ;  and, 
although  he  was  not  yet  twenty-three  years  of  age, 
he  was  ordained  priest,  on  the  18th  of  December, 
1790,  at  the  last  public  ordination  that  took  place 
in  Paris  before  the  Revolution.  He  immediately  set 
off  for  Mayenne,  where  he  first  celebrated  mass  on 
Christmas  eve,  and  also  assisted  at  high  mass  the 
next  day. 

M.  Lefebvre  Cheverus,  his  venerable  uncle,  curate 
of  Mayenne,  then  infirm  and  paralytic,  wrote  immedi- 
ately to  the  Bishop  of  Mans  a  letter,  in  which  he 
earnestly  requested  him  to  allow  his  nephew,  under 
the  title  of  curate,  to  become  his  colleague,  and,  as 
it  were,  his  right  hand,  in  the  administration  of  the 
affairs  of  his  parish.  The  Bishop  was  unwilling  to 
refuse  the  request  of  this  venerable  old  man,  who, 
besides,  by  reason  of  his  age  and  infirmities,  was 
really  in  need  of  so  efficient  an  assistant.  But,  at 
the  same  time,  desirous  of  showing  that  he  considered 
the  Abbe  Cheverus,  at  the  commencement  of  his  pro- 
fessional career,  worthy  of  a  more  elevated  station,  he 


HIS  ZEALOUS  LABORS  AT  MAYENNE.         23 

appointed  him  canon  of  his  own  cathedral,  an  office 
which  would  not  prevent  him  from  rendering  his  uncle 
those  services  which  the  good  rector  expected  of 
him ;  since,  the  chapter  having  been  dissolved  by  a 
decree  of  the  National  Assembly,  there  were  no  longer 
any  duties  to  perform,  nor  was  residence  necessary. 

The  Abbe  Cheverus,  at  once  canon  and  vicar,  im- 
mediately entered  on  the  duties  of  his  ministry,  at 
Mayenne  ;  and,  although  so  young,  he  displayed  all 
the  zeal,  prudence,  and  firmness  of  a  veteran  at  the 
altar.  The  rectitude  of  his  mind  made  up  for  his 
want  of  experience.  He  was  always  at  his  post,  and 
punctual  in  the  performance  of  all  his  duties.  He 
catechized  young  children  in  so  interesting  a  manner, 
that  he  drew  crowds  of  older  people  to  hear ;  he 
instructed  those  of  riper  years  with  a  clearness,  a  force, 
and  an  unction,  which  carried  conviction  to  every 
mind,  and  persuasion  to  every  heart ;  and  the  aged  still 
remember  with  what  zeal  he  confessed  his  numerous 
penitents,  visited  the  sick,  relieved  the  poor,  and 
consoled  the  afflicted. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  political  horizon  became 
daily  more  cloudy,  and  the  tempest  more  threatening. 
He  was  called  upon  to  take  the  oath  to  the  Con- 
stitution, and  refused  to  do  so,  with  a  noble  firmness; 
as  did,  also,  his  aged  uncle  and  his  clerical  brethren. 
Then  came  an  order  to  leave  the  parsonage,  and  give 
place  to  an  illegally  appointed  curate,  who  had 
taken  the  oath,  and  who  was   coming  to  take    pos- 


24  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL  CflEVERUS. 

session  of  it.  He  obeyed  in  silence,  and  continued 
to  exercise  his  ministry ;  never,  for  a  moment,  suffer- 
ing himself  to  be  perplexed  or  disconcerted,  nor  his 
zeal  to  relax  under  such  discouraging  circumstances. 
He  catechized,  preached,  and  confessed,  as  usual.  He 
even  consecrated  altar  stones,  that  he  might,  in 
case  of  necessity,  celebrate  mass  in  private  houses; 
in  virtue  of  a  special  power,  delegated  to  him  by  the 
Bishop  of  Mans,  who  had  been  authorized  to  do  so 
by  the  Holy  See.  On  the  15th  of  August,  1791, 
the  municipal  authority  again  demanded  that  he  should 
take  the  oath  ;  and,  upon  his  again  refusing,  he,  as 
well  as  his  brethren,  were  prohibited,  thenceforth, 
from  any  ministrations  in  the  church,  except  the  cel- 
ebration of  the  mass.  The  Abbe  Cheverus  was  still 
obedient,  and  continued,  amidst  so  many  storms,  ob- 
stacles, and  alarms,  to  exercise  his  ministerial  functions 
in  secret.  A  room  in  his  father's  house  was  con- 
verted into  a  chapel ;  and  there  he  celebrated  the  holy 
mysteries,  and  administered  the  sacrament. 

Things  went  on  in  this  manner,  till  the  beginning 
of  January,  1792,  when  his  respected  uncle,  whom 
he  venerated  as  a  father,  died.  Monseigneur  de 
Gonsans,  who  was  then  a  member  of  the  States 
General,  no  sooner  heard  of  his  death  than  he  wrote, 
without  any  hesitation,  to  M.  the  Abbe  Decolle, 
his  secretary,  and  directed  him,  without  delay,  to 
send  to  M.  Cheverus  the  title-deed  of  his  nomination 
to  the  curacy  of  Mayenne  ;  and,  at  the  same    time, 


HE  IS   APPOIiNTED   CURATE   OF  MAYENiNE.  25 

he  conferred  on  him  the  powers  of  Vicar-General. 
M.  Cheverus  already  possessed  the  influence  of  this 
office,  in  consideration  of  his  merits  alone.  Several 
priests  had  consulted  him  in  respect  to  the  oath, 
regarding  him  already  as  an  oracle,  notwithstand- 
ing his  youth ;  and  he  made  use  of  the  confidence 
reposed  in  him,  to  confirm  some,  to  encourage  others, 
and  to  enlighten  and  direct  all.  Thus  the  news  of  his 
promotion  alarmed  the  revolutionists.  They  thought, 
that,  if  M.  Cheverus,  by  the  ascendency  of  his  worth 
alone,  exercised  over  his  brethren  and  parishioners 
an  influence  as  powerful  as  it  was  fatal  to  their 
views,  he  would,  when  once  invested  with  the  title  of 
curate,  impede  much  more  the  revolutionary  cause, 
and  the  success  of  the  constitutional  church.  They 
therefore  resolved  to  get  rid  of  him ;  and,  as  they 
could  neither  employ  open  violence  against  him,  with- 
out arousing  the  indignation  of  the  whole  population, 
who  entertained  for  him  the  most  respeci.ful  attach- 
ment, nor  hope  to  cause  liis  departure  by  importunity 
or  annoyances,  before  which  his  zeal  would  never 
give  way,  they  resolved  to  try  the  efl:ect  of  threats 
and  secret  persecution.  Three  days  after  he  re- 
ceived his  credentials,  one  of  tlieir  body  came  to  in- 
form him,  in  a  manner  in  itself  apparently  as  respect- 
ful and  friendly  as  possible,  that,  in  consequence  of  a 
resolution  of  the  Revolutionary  Club,  his  father*s 
house  would  be  burnt,  the  following  night,  unless  he 
3 


26  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

departed  that  very  day,  and  that  this  would  only  be 
the  prelude  to  still  greater  misfortunes. 

M.  Cheverus  then  concluded,  that  neither  pru- 
dence nor  filial  piety  would  permit  him  to  remain  any 
longer ;  and  he  left  Mayenne  the  same  evening,  in 
company  with  his  friend,  the  Abbe  Souge,  who  af- 
terwards died  curate  of  that  city.  Both  slept  at  a 
country-house,  at  the  distance  of  three  quarters  of  a 
league  ;  and,  the  next  day,  proceeded  to  Laval,  whither 
all  the  priests  of  the  department,  who  had  not  taken 
the  oath,  were  ordered  to  repair,  that  they  might  be 
under  the  surveillance  of  the  police.  M.  Cheverus 
was  allowed  to  live  at  the  house  of  some  relations  he 
had  in  that  city,  and  was  only  required  to  appear  every 
day  before  the  authorities,  who,  by  strictly  calling  the 
roll,  assured  themselves  that  no  priest  had  fled.  He 
lived  thus  two  months  and  a  half,  groaning  under  the 
afflictions  of  the  church,  and  occasionally  seeing 
Monseigneur  de  Herce,  bishop  of  Dol,  who,  forced  to 
fly  from  his  own  diocese,  had  retired  to  Mayenne,  his 
native  place,  and  been  obliged,  like  all  the  rest,  to 
come  and  reside  in  the  chief  town  of  the  department. 

But,  in  the  month  of  June  of  the  same  year,  hav- 
ing been  shut  up  in  the  old  convent  of  the  Cordeliers 
with  Monseigneur  the  Bishop  of  Dol  and  all  the 
priests  who  were  at  Laval ;  and  thinking,  that,  in  this 
confinement,  his  life  was  in  continual  danger;  that  the 
frantic  rabble  might,  at  any  moment,  pounce  upon 
their  victims,  and  assassinate  them  all,  his  only  thought 


SETS   OUT  FOR  PARIS.  27 

was,  to  secure  the  means  of  escape,  and  to  quit  a  land, 
which  was  destroying  its  own  inhabitants.  A  slight 
indisposition  served  him  as  a  pretext  for  obtaining 
permission  to  pass  some  days  with  his  relatives ;  and, 
as  soon  as  he  found  himself  among  them,  he  made 
known  his  design  of  going,  as  soon  as  possible,  to 
England,  there  to  remain,  till  the  storm  should  pass 
over,  and  happier  days  should  come.  The  affliction 
of  his  family,  obliged  to  part  with  him  who  was 
their  pride  and  delight,  can  easily  be  imagined ;  un- 
certain what  would  befall  him  in  a  foreign  country, 
or  even  whether  they  should  ever  be  permitted  to 
see  him  again.  In  this  season  of  profound  sorrow, 
M.  Cheverus  was  himself  the  comforter  of  all,  and 
endeavoured,  in  every  way,  to  calm  their  anxiety,  and 
assuage  their  grief.  "  If  I  can  once  reach  a  foreign 
country,"  said  he  to  them,  "  have  no  fears  for  me ; 
when  one  is  young  and  strong,  as  I  am,  he  can  live 
anywhere,  because  he  can  everywhere  gain  a  subsist- 
ence by  labor.  I  am  not  differently  constituted  from 
so  many  other  men,  who  have  no  means  of  support 
but  the  labor  of  their  hands." 

After  doing  all  he  could  to  console  his  relations,  he 
tore  himself  from  their  embraces,  and,  disguised  as  a 
layman,  and  furnished  with  a  merchant's  passport, 
which  had  been  obtained  for  him,  he  set  off  for  Paris, 
where  he  arrived  on  the  25th  of  June.  He  was  soon 
recognised,  denounced  to  the  Committee  of  Vigilance, 
obliged  to  change  his  place  of  asylum,  and,  at  length, 


28  l-Il'E  OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

succeeded  in  concealing  himself,  in  a  small,  obscure, 
and  very  retired  hotel,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Church  of  Saint  Eustache.  Here  he  lived  two 
months,  scarcely  ever  venturing  out,  feeling  himself 
suspended,  as  it  were,  between  life  and  death,  and 
waiting  for  a  favorable  opportunity  to  execute  his 
project  of  going  to  England.  In  the  mean  time,  the 
resolution  of  the  26ih  of  August  was  passed,  which 
condemned  to  banishment  those  priests  who  had  not 
taken  the  constitutional  oath.  This  was  precisely 
what  M.  Cheverus  desired  in  his  present  state  of 
mind,  and  he  determined  to  take  advantage  of  this 
law.  He  had  hitherto  escaped,  as  it  were  by  miracle, 
the  search  made  for  his  person  ;  already,  by  the  man- 
ner in  which  he  prayed  in  his  chamber,  and  said  his 
breviary,  he  had  been  recognised  as  a  priest,  by  the 
master  of  the  hotel  where  he  lodged.  The  mas- 
sacres of  the  2d  and  3d  of  September  had  taken 
place.  He  happened  to  be  passing  near  the  Convent 
of  the  Carmelites,  when  so  many  victims  were  cruelly 
butchered  there ;  and  his  younger  brother,  then  a  law- 
student  in  the  College  of  Louis-le-Grand,  was  able  to 
save  him,  only  by  concealing  him  several  days  in  his 
own  chamber.  He  was  worn  out  by  this  cruel  mode 
of  life,  and  wished  to  escape  from  it  at  all  hazards. 
This  he  would  fain  have  accomplished  through  the 
gate  of  martyrdom  ;  and  he  envied  the  lot  of  his 
happy  brethren,  who  had  sealed  their  attachment  to 
the  faith  with  their  blood.     "  How  ardently  I  wished,'* 


SAILS   FOR  ENGLAND.  29 

did  he  often  afterwards  say,  in  speaking  of  these  trying 
times,  '^  how  ardently  I  wished,  that  a  musket-ball 
would  strike  me  dead  along  with  so  many  martyrs!*' 

But  since  this  happiness  was  not  granted  him,  and 
duty  forbade  him  to  court  it,  he  commissioned  his 
brother  to  take  all  necessary  measures  for  his  ap- 
proaching departure.  His  brother  first  had  the  mer- 
chant's passport,  given  him  at  Laval,  made  out  for 
Calais  ;  and  then,  thinking  that  a  passport  of  trans- 
portation might  be  useful  to  the  Abbe  Cheverus  in 
sailing  for  England,  he  presented  himself,  under  the 
title  of  curate  of  Mayenne,  and,  in  virtue  of  the  de- 
cree of  the  26th  of  August,  obtained  the  new  pass- 
port he  desired.  M.  Cheverus,  furnished  with  these 
two  passports,  immediately  left  Paris,  disguised  as  a 
layman,  and  reached  Calais,  without  interruption,  the 
Uth  of  September,  1792.  There  he  first  resumed 
the  character  of  a  priest,  presented  his  passport  of 
transportation,  and  embarked,  as  soon  as  possible,  for 
England,  where  he  arrived  in  safety,  happy  to  unite 
in  that  noble  act  of  devotion  of  all  the  French  clergy, 
who  bore  with  them  in  their  exile  the  lofty  profession 
of  their  faith,  and  hatred  of  schism  and  heresy. 


3* 


30  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 


BOOK   SECOND. 

LIFE    OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS  DURING  HIS   ABSENCE  FROM 
FRANCE. 

It  was  a  painful  situation,  and  one  calculated  to 
depress  a  spirit  less  noble,  or  less  sustained  by  faith 
and  a  sense  of  duty,  for  a  young  man  to  be  placed  in 
a  foreign  country,  without  any  acquaintance  there, 
ignorant  of  its  language,  and  with  no  pecuniary  re- 
sources, except  a  small  sum  he  had  brought  with  him, 
and  which  must  soon  be  entirely  exhausted. 

But,  firm  in  his  reliance  on  God,  M.  Cheverus 
never  felt  a  moment's  anxiety,  nor,  for  a  single  day,  lost 
his  serenity  and  peace  of  mind.  The  English  govern- 
ment, with  a  generosity  which  will  for  ever  redound  to 
its  honor,  proposed  that  he  should  participate  in  the 
assistance  afforded  to  all  the  French  who  were 
unjustly  persecuted  and  banished.  M.  Cheverus, 
with  still  greater  generosity,  thanked  the  government 
for  its  Hberal  and  obliging  offer,  and  begged  that  this 
relief  might  be  appropriated  to  others,  who  needed  it 
more  than  he.  "The  little  I  have,"  said  he,  (he 
possessed  only  three  hundred  francs,  less  than  sixty 
dollars,)  "  will  suffice  for  my  wants,  until  I  learn  some- 
thing of  the  language ;  and,  when  once  I  am  acquainted 


GIVES  LESSONS   IN   A  BOARDING-SCHOOL.  31 

with  it,  I  can  earn  my  living,  if  in  no  other  way,  by 
the  labor  of  my  hands." 

M.  Cheverus  applied  himself  to  the  study  of  the 
English  language  with  great  assiduity ;  and,  aided  by 
the  natural  quickness  of  his  mind,  made  such  pro- 
gress in  it,  that,  at  the  end  of  three  months,  he  was 
able  to  give  lessons  in  French  and  mathematics  at  a 
boarding-school  for  young  people,  where  he  became 
a  teacher,  in  January,  1793.  The  principal  of  this 
school  was  a  Protestant  clergyman ;  imbued  with  all 
the  prejudices  of  his  sect  against  Catholic  priests,  he 
kept  a  strict  watch,  both  day  and  night,  over  the  new 
professor ;  observed  all  his  motions,  and  scrutinized  his 
conduct,  in  order  to  satisfy  himself  how  far  his  morals 
were  pure,  and  his  deportment  correct.  The  result 
of  this  strict  scrutiny  was  highly  honorable  to  the 
Catholic  religion.  He  could  never  detect  M.  Chev- 
erus in  the  least  fault  whatever  ;  and,  filled  with  admi- 
ration for  a  virtue  always  true  to  itself,  as  undeviating 
in  private  as  in  public,  he  gave  him  his  entire  confi- 
dence, after  having  frankly  owned  to  him  the  ex- 
treme distrust  with  which  he  had  at  first  regarded 
him,  and  which  the  regularity  of  his  conduct  had  at 
length  dispelled. 

In  this  institution,  M.  Cheverus  was  boarded,  and 
supplied  with  all  the  necessaries  of  life ;  which  was 
all  he  desired.  He  received,  besides,  some  compen- 
sation ;  and  his  generous  heart  then  tasted  the  sweetest 
of   pleasures^  that  of  aiding  his  countrymen  in  their 


32  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

misfortunes.  Deeply  penetrated,  from  that  time,  with 
the  evangelical  precept,  "  It  is  better  to  give  than  to 
receive,'*  he  devoted  to  them  all  that  he  earned ; 
and  expended  as  little  as  possible  on  himself,  in  or- 
der that  he  might  be  lavish,  had  that  been  in  his 
power,  towards  others. 

Happy  in  this  privilege  which  his  situation  afforded 
him,  he  derived  from  it  another  important  advantage, 
for  he  possessed  in  his  own  pupils  the  best  teacher  of 
the  English  language.  Hearing  nothing  but  English 
spoken,  he  necessarily  learned  from  them  the  mean- 
ing of  those  words  of  which  he  was  still  ignorant,  the 
idiom  of  the  language,  and  a  correct  pronunciation. 
Obliged  to  express  himself  always  in  English,  he  im- 
proved daily  in  his  use  of  the  language,  in  conse- 
quence of  his  intercourse  with  these  young  persons, 
who,  like  most  other  pupils,  did  not  overlook  a  single 
error,  either  in  grammar  or  pronunciation ;  but,  by  a 
roguish  smile,  and  sometimes,  even,  by  good-natured 
raillery,  made  him  aware  of  his  mistake.  He  join- 
ed in  their  laugh  with  a  good  grace,  thanked  his 
scholars  for  correcting  him,  noted  with  care,  or  asked 
them  to  point  out,  the  incorrect  expression  or  accent, 
and  remembered  it  all  the  better,  as  one  is  least  likely 
to  forget  things  which  have  made  him  ridiculous. 

Thanks  to  these  constant  and  vigilant  monitors, 
M.  Cheverus  found  himself  able,  at  the  end  of  a  year, 
to  speak  English  very  intelligibly  and  correctly.  But 
so  noble  a  mind  aimed  at  something  higher  than  the 


HIS   FIRST  SERMON   IN   ENGLISH.  33 

acquisition  of  a  language.  He  had  devoted  himself 
with  so  much  ardor  to  the  study  of  English,  because 
he  regarded  a  knowledge  of  it  as  auxiliary  to  his  zeal, 
and  as  a  means  of  rendering  himself  useful  to  religion 
and  the  church.  He  sought  an  interview  with  Mon- 
seigneur  Douglas,  the  Catholic  Bishop  of  London  ; 
and,  after  having  proved  to  him,  by  some  pieces  of 
composition,  which  he  submitted  to  his  inspection,  as 
well  as  by  his  conversation,  that  he  possessed  a  suffi- 
cient knowledge  of  the  English  language  to  perform  the 
duties  of  a  minister  acceptably,  he  asked,  and  obtained, 
his  permission  to  exercise  all  the  clerical  functions  in 
his  district.  Thus  empowered,  he  visited  several  Cath- 
olic families  in  the  vicinity,  who  had  neither  churches 
nor  priests,  proposed  to  them  to  assemble  every  Sunday 
and  holyday,  and  offered  them  his  services  as  chaplain. 
They  accepted  this  proposal  with  joy,  and,  the  follow- 
ing Sunday,  he  preached  his  first  sermon  in  English. 
Being  in  some  doubt  whether  he  had  been  under- 
stood, and  wishing  to  ascertain  the  fact,  he  asked 
a  man  of  the  lower  class,  what  he  thought  of  the 
sermon.  The  honest  man  replied,  with  simplicity, 
^^  Your  sermon  was  not  like  most  others  ;  there  was 
not  a  single  dictionary-word  in  it ;  all  the  words  were 
easy  to  understand."  M.  Cheverus  was  satisfied  with 
this  reply,  which  gave  him  more  pleasure  than  the 
highest  praise  of  a  learned  man  could  have  done. 
To   the    latest    period   of  his    life,   he  was   fond   of 


34  I-IFE   OP   CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

relating  this  circumstance  to  the  priests  of  his  dio- 
cese ;  to  convince  them,  that  the  great  excellence  of 
preaching  is,  to  be  intelligible  to  all,  even  the  most 
unlearned ;  that  all  those  high-sounding  v^^ords,  those 
newly  coined,  studied  expressions,  which  an  unletter- 
ed man  could  not  understand  without  a  dictionary, 
ought  to  be  banished  from  the  pulpit ;  and  that  it  is 
far  better  to  be  understood  by  a  simple  woman  than 
to  be  praised  by  an  academician. 

Encouraged  by  his  first  successful  efforts,  he  con- 
tinued to  preach  and  to  catechize,  and  soon  collected 
a  numerous  and  exemplary  congregation.  Finding  that 
the  small  room,  in  which  he  had  commenced  his  min- 
istry, would  no  longer  accommodate  them,  he  formed 
the  design  of  opening  a  chapel.  This  was  a  great 
undertaking  for  a  poor  and  exiled  priest ;  but  his 
untiring  zeal,  and  the  benevolence  of  the  faithful 
band  of  his  hearers,  insured  a  success  more  than 
commensurate  with  the  first  design.  In  addition  to 
a  chapel,  spacious  lodgings  were  procured  for  the 
ecclesiastics  who  took  part  in  the  services,  and 
such  others  as  they  were  pleased  to  associate  with 
themselves.  The  Bishop  of  London,  hearing  of 
the  success  and  apostolic  devotion  of  M.  Chev- 
erus,  was  gracious  enough  to  come  in  person  to 
consecrate  the  new  chapel,  with  a  view  to  testify 
publicly  the  interest  he  felt  in  the  work,  and  his  great , 
esteem  for  its  founder.  This  new  institution  being 
firmly    established,    M.   Cheverus  thought   it  best   to 


OPENS   A   CHAPEL   TN   LONDON.  35 

leave  the  boarding-school,  in  which  he  had  been  em- 
ployed to  give  lessons  since  his  arrival  in  England. 
The  time  he  passed  there  every  day  in  teaching  the 
sciences,  he  thought  ought  to  be  wholly  consecrated 
to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  souls.  Con- 
sequently, he  took  up  his  residence  in  the  house  ad- 
joining the  chapel  he  had  just  opened.  As  it  was 
larger  than  was  necessary  for  a  single  individual,  he 
invited  several  ecclesiastics  to  share  it  with  him,  hap- 
py in  being  able  to  add  this  act  of  benevolence  to 
his  other  charitable  deeds. 

He  had  not  been  long  established  in  his  new  res- 
idence, before  a  wealthy  English  nobleman,  who  was 
struck  with  hearing  him  universally  praised,  and  his 
amiable  qualities  everywhere  enlarged  upon,  earnestly 
requested  him  to  have  the  goodness  to  take  charge 
of  his  son,  and  give  him  lessons  in  geometry  and  al- 
gebra. M.  Cheverus  accepted  this  proposal,  as  he 
thought  it  would  not  interfere  with  his  ministerial  du- 
ties, and  might,  on  the  other  hand,  furnish  him  with 
further  resources  for  doing  good.  He  lived  thus  for 
some  time,  laboring  with  success  and  satisfaction  to 
himself  in  his  new  chapel,  and  giving  daily  lessons  to 
his  new  pupil.  The  nobleman,  having  himself  wit- 
nessed the  many  excellent  qualities  of  his  son's  pre- 
ceptor, spared  no  pains  to  bind  M.  Cheverus  to  his 
service.  He  lavished  upon  him  all  the  comforts  and 
enjoyments  that  wealth  could  bestow,  and  even  made 
him  the  most  matjnificent  offers  for  life. 


36  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

The  attraction  of  a  situation  so  agreeable,  in  a 
worldly  point  of  view,  could  not  prevail  on  M.  Chev- 
erus.  All  these  temporal  advantages,  all  these  lux- 
uries of  life,  appeared  to  him  alike  dangerous  to 
his  piety,  and  unworthy  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ, 
who  should,  like  his  Master,  lead  a  life  of  poverty 
and. self-denial.  *' I  was  too  well  off'  for  a  priest," 
he  has  since  said  to  his  friends,  "  I  tasted  only  en- 
joyment." It  then  seemed  to  him  that  his  services 
might  be  better  employed  elsewhere  than  in  Eng- 
land, where  the  efforts  of  the  priests  were  impeded 
by  their  numbers  ;  while  so  many  other  countries  of 
the  globe  were  abandoned,  so  many  people  left  en- 
tirely destitute,  so  many  nations  still  sitting  in  the 
shadow  of  death.  Would  not  these  nations  one  day 
rise  up  and  reproach  him  for  remaining  where  there 
were  already  too  many  priests,  instead  of  carrying  his 
ministrations  among  those  who  were  without  any  ? 
He  communicated  these  views  to  the  Bishop  of  Lon- 
don, who,  wishing  to  keep  him  near  himself,  replied, 
"  Yes,  it  is  true,  we  have  a  superabundance  of  priests 
here,  but  there  is  a  scarcity  of  such  priests  as  your- 
self, and  I  have  need  of  them ;  remain  with  me." 
M.  Cheverus  was  not  satisfied  with  this  decision,  and 
his  ardent  spirit  sighed  for  a  more  extended  field  of 
usefulness. 

It  was  not  long  before  an  opportunity  for  such  self- 
devotion  presented  itself  A  college  was  about  to  be 
opened  at   Cayenne ;    the   situation    had    been  fixed 


COLLEGE   AT   CAYENNE. —aUlBERON  EXPEDITION.       37 

upon,  all  necessary  preparations   made,    and  nothing 
was  wanting  but  a  head.     But  it  required  a  person 
of  judgment,  firmness,  and  zeal,  and  one  well  versed 
in  literature.     M.  Cheverus  was  believed  to  unite  all 
these  qualities  ;  it  was  proposed  to  him  to  put  him- 
self at  the   head  of  this  establishment ;   and  the   im- 
portant advantages,  which  would  result  to  religion  from 
such  an  arrangement,  were  set  before  him.     He  con- 
sidered this  proposal  for  some  time,  imploring  Heaven 
to  aid  his  decision ;  but  finally  concluded  that  it  was 
not  his  duty  to  accept  it.     He  felt  that  his  zeal  de- 
manded a  wider   field   of   exertion  than   the   narrow 
limits  of  a   college  would   afford ;    besides,    although 
he  loved  literature,  it  was  rather  as  a  relaxation  from 
the  labors  of  his  ministry,  and   more  serious  studies, 
than  as  an  occupation  for  life.     Providence,  doubtless, 
ordered    it    thus,  to  keep    him    from   the  persecution 
which  soon  after  broke  out  against  the  priests  at  Cay- 
enne, and  which  would  almost  infallibly  have  cut  him 
off  in  the  midst  of  his  career.     The  same  Providence 
protected  him,  no  less  visibly,    on    another   occasion, 
and  snatched  him    from   certain   death,  notwithstand- 
ing all  his  efforts  to  expose  himself  to  danger. 

Monseigneur  de  Herce,  Bishop  of  Dol,  had  ap- 
pointed him  his  vicar-general,  in  order  that  he  might 
have  in  him  a  powerful  assistant,  when  more  happy 
days  should  dawn  on  France,  and  allow  him  to  re- 
turn there.  M.  Cheverus,  at  first,  saw  in  this  nomi- 
nation only  a  testimony  of  attachment  on  the  part  of 
4 


38  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

a  bishop  whom  he  esteemed  and  venerated.  But, 
after  a  Httle  time,  the  emigrants  having  formed  the 
unfortunate  project  of  the  Quiberon  expedition  ; 
and  Monseigneur  de  Herce,  urged  by  the  desire  of 
reluming  to  his  own  diocese,  having  consented  to  ac- 
company them,  that  he  might  succour  by  his  ministry 
those  who  required  its  consolations,  M.  Cheverus 
thought  that  his  title  of  vicar-general  then  imposed 
upon  him  weighty  duties.  He  sought  Monseigneur 
de  Herce,  and  asked  permission  to  accompany  him. 
"  No,"  replied  the  worthy  Bishop,  "  I  am  old,  and 
may  risk  the  (ew  days  that  still  remain  for  me  to 
pass  on  earth  ;  but  as  for  you,  you  are  young,  and  I 
should  consider  myself  culpable  to  the  church,  if  I 
should  expose  it  to  the  loss  of  the  long  and  useful 
services  you  may  render  it."  M.  Cheverus,  who  was 
never  intimidated  by  personal  danger,  insisted,  urged, 
and  conjured.  "  You  are  as  a  father  to  me,"  he 
said ;  "  it  is  the  duty  of  a  child  to  attend  his  father 
in  times  of  peril.  I  ought,  and  I  will  accompany 
you."  The  Bishop  was  obliged  to  assume  a  tone  of 
severity,  to  restrain  his  intrepid  courage.  *'  If  you 
follow  me,"  said  the  Bishop,  "  you  will  cease,  by  that 
very  act,  to  be  my  vicar-general ;  I  withdraw  your  title. 
Remain ;  such  is  my  wish ;  and,  if  the  enterprise  suc- 
ceed, I  will  immediately  send  for  you  to  come  to 
me."  M.  Cheverus  was  obliged  to  obey  ;  and  those 
only,  who  know  his  heart,  can  understand  how  much 
it  cost  him  to  separate  from  this  venerable  friend  of 


KECEIVES  A  LETTER   FROM   M.    MATIGNON.  39 

his  youth ;  how  great  was  his  solicitude  in  regard  to 
the  expedition,  and  what  anguish  he  felt  on  learning 
its  fatal  issue,  the  slaughter  of  nearly  all  the  French 
who  joined  in  it,  and  of  the  worthy  Bishop  among 
them. 

M.  Cheverus,  having  thus  escaped  death,  believed 
himself  more  than  ever  called  upon  to  consecrate  en- 
tirely to  the  service  of  God  those  days  which  had 
been  so  providentially  spared  to  him ;  and  the  inspi- 
rations of  that  zeal  which  called  him  to  other  lands 
were  felt  more  powerfully  than  ever.  While  these 
thoughts  occupied  him,  he  received  a  letter  from  the 
Abbe  Matignon,  doctor,  and  late  professor,  of  the 
Sorbonne,  whom  he  had  known  in  Paris.  This  esti- 
mable ecclesiastic,  no  less  distinguished  for  his  piety 
than  for  his  talents,  for  his  zeal  than  for  his  pru- 
dence, and  endowed  with  every  quality  calculated  to 
win  the  heart,  was  then  alone  at  Boston,  where  he 
had  been  stationed  by  Monseigneur  Carroll,  Bishop 
of  Baltimore,  whose  jurisdiction  then  extended  over 
the  whole  United  States.  Besides  Boston,  M.  Mati- 
gnon had  charge  of  all  New  England,  and  the  Pe- 
nobscot and  Passamaquoddy  tribes  of  Indians.  Ap- 
palled by  labors  so  much  greater  than  the  strength  of 
a  single  individual  could  sustain ;  still  more,  by  the  ill- 
will  subsisting  in  the  minds  of  men,  divided  into  more 
than  thirty  religious  sects,  all  animated  with  violent 
hatred  against  what  they  called  papacy,  he  wished 
to  procure  a  fellow-laborer,  who  should  divide  with 


40  LIFE    OP   CARDINAL  CHEVERLfS. 

him  this  heavy  burden.  To  find  one  was  difficult ; 
for  every  priest  was  not  calculated  for  a  country  so 
imbued  with  prejudice  against  the  Catholic  clergy. 
It  required  a  man  possessed  of  virtue  which  should 
appear  lovely,  of  a  character  full  of  gentleness,  of  no- 
ble disinterestedness,  of  a  cultivated  mind  and  ex- 
tensive information,  to  overcome  prejudice,  to  secure 
affection,  and  to  gain  esteem  and  respect.  M.  Ma- 
tignon  gave  the  subject  a  prayerful  and  deliberate 
consideration,  and  it  seemed  to  him  that  M.  Cheverus, 
whose  rare  worth  and  amiable  character  he  had  justly 
appreciated  at  the  Sorbonne,  was  the  very  man  he 
sought.  He  wrote  to  him  on  the  subject,  in  1795, 
and  represented  to  him  the  great  importance  of  this 
destitute  station ;  set  before  his  view  a  new  church 
to  be  formed  in  this  new  country  ;  Catholics  without 
teachers,  scattered  over  an  immense-  tract,  and  expos- 
ed to  the  loss  of  their  faith ;  savage  tribes  to  be 
evangelized,  and  all  the  duties  of  an  apostle  to  be 
fulfilled.  Was  not  this  vast  field  indeed  worthy  of 
his  zeal  and  devotion  ?  And  in  what  part  of  the 
world  could  his  services  be  more  useful  to  the  church  ? 
M.  Cheverus  was  vividly  impressed  with  the  con- 
tents of  this  letter ;  the  reasons  it  contained  were 
convincing  and  unanswerable,  and  the  man  who  had 
given  them  was  a  saint,  and  his  friend.  He  believ- 
ed, however,  that,  in  a  matter  of  such  moment,  he 
ought  not  to  decide  lightly,  nor  obey  the  first  impulse 
of  inconsiderate  zeal.     He  took  time  for  deliberation  ; 


DETERMINES   TO  GO  TO   BOSTON.  41 

he  prayed,  asked  counsel,  weighed  all  the  reasons  on 
both  sides  of  the  question,  and,  at  length,  after  such 
hesitation  as  prudence  demanded,  he  decided  to  join 
the  worthy  Abbe  Matignon.  He  considered  it  his 
duty  to  make  known  this  determination  to  Monsei- 
gneur  de  Gonsans,  Bishop  of  Mans,  who  had  always 
manifested  great  kindness  towards  him.  This  excel- 
lent prelate  replied  to  him  in  a  most  affectionate  let- 
ter. He  admired,  he  praised  his  zeal ;  but,  at  the 
same  time,  expressed  his  fears,  that  his  young  friend 
(the  name  by  which  he  was  pleased  to  designate  him) 
was  about  to  undertake  too  much,  and,  especially,  that 
he  might  not  return  again  to  his  own  diocese,  which 
would  occasion  him  deep  regret,  and  be  an  irrepara- 
ble loss  to  his  flock.  M.  Cheverus  regarded  this  let- 
ter only  as  a  testimony  of  tender  Interest.  His  part 
was  taken,  he  hesitated  no  longer  ;  neither  the  en- 
treaties of  his  friends,  nor  the  prayers  of  the  Bishop 
of  London,  nor  the  love  of  his  country,  from  which 
he  was  about  to  banish  himself,  perhaps  forever,  could 
induce  him  to  alter  his  determination  ;  his  only  care 
was  to  set  off  as  soon  as  possible. 

One  thing  alone  remained  to  be  settled  ;  this  was 
to  make  arrangements,  respecting  his  present  and  fu- 
ture claims  upon  his  patrimonial  property.  But  he  cut 
short  this  business  at  once.  He  went  to  the  French 
ambassador  in  London,  and,  by  an  irrevocable  instru- 
ment, executed  in  legal  form,  renounced  his  entire 
patrimony  in  favor  of  his  brother  and  sisters,  and 
4* 


12  LIFE   OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUg. 

charged  the  ambassador  to  communicate  the  docu- 
ment to  his  family  as  soon  as  possible.  Then,  poor, 
hke  Jesus  Christ,  his  Master,  and  without  any  worldly 
possessions,  his  heart  felt  more  free,  unrestrained,  and 
contented.  It  seemed  to  him,  that,  after  having  imi- 
tated the  apostles,  who  left  all  to  follow  their  voca- 
tion, he  was  better  fitted  to  enter  upon  an  eminently 
apostolic  mission ;  and  that  God,  who  had  planted 
the  faith  in  the  world  by  the  ministry  of  twelve  poor 
men,  would  also  bless  more  richly,  in  another  hemi- 
sphere, the  word  of  his  poor  minister.  Another  con- 
sideration, also,  no  less  worthy  of  his  piety  and  of 
his  excellent  heart  than  that  of  which  we  have  just 
spoken,  filled  his  soul  with  peace  and  comfort.  As 
the  revolutionists  in  France  took  possession  of  all  the 
property  of  emigrants,  he  had  been  apprehensive  that 
a  blind  hatred  might  comprehend  under  this  name  the 
banished  priests  also,  and  that  his  family  might  be 
disturbed  by  attempts  to  deprive  them  of  that  portion 
of  the  inheritance  revertible  to  him.  By  the  instru- 
ment drawn  up  in  presence  of  the  ambassador,  he 
had  secured  peace  and  tranquillity  to  his  family,  and 
enjoyed  a  heartfelt  satisfaction  in  having  done  so. 

He  then  called  on  the  captain  of  a  vessel  about  to 
sail  for  Boston,  to  bespeak  a  passage  in  her.  The 
request  was,  at  first,  refused  ;  in  consequence,  probably, 
of  the  prejudices  existing  against  Catholic  priests. 
But  M.  Cheverus,  without  suffering  himself  to  be  re- 
pulsed by  the  refusal  of  an  inferior  officer,  asked  and 


SAILS  FOR  BOSTON.  43 

obtained  an  interview  with  the  captain  himself.  A 
few  moments  were  sufficient  to  interest  and  prevail 
with  him.  The  captain  was  so  delighted  with  the 
conversation  of  the  j^outhful  missionary,  and  with  the 
noble  simplicity  of  his  amiable  manners,  that  he  read- 
ily consented  to  receive  him  on  board,  and  promised 
him  all  the  respect  that  he  could  secure  to  him  during 
the  passage. 

Every  thing  being  prepared  for  his  departure, 
M.  Cheverus  bade  adieu  to  the  Catholics  of  his 
church,  who  all  melted  into  tears,  and  to  his  numerous 
friends,  who  bitterly  deplored  the  loss  they  were  about 
to  sustain.  One  of  them,  formerly  his  instructer  in  the 
Sorbonne,  embraced  him  in  the  fulness  of  his  heart, 
his  eyes  suffused  with  tears.  "  Ah  !  my  friend,"  said 
he,  "  was  it,  then,  to  evangelize  savages,  that  you 
composed  those  beautiful  dissertations  at  the  Sor- 
bonne ?  Why  go  to  bury  your  talents  in  the  woods  ? 
In  France,  you  would  have  become  one  of  our  most 
distinguished  bishops."  M.  Cheverus  tore  himself 
away  from  all  these  hopes,  as  well  as  from  the  em- 
braces of  his  friends,  and  embarked  for  Boston.  The 
first  Friday  out,  he  ate  only  some  bread  and  cheese,  in 
compliance  with  the  rules  of  abstinence.  Such  a 
course  would  have  drawn  upon  any  other  person  the 
derision  and  banter  of  the  passengers,  who  were  all 
Protestants.  But  the  mild  and  amiable  virtues  of 
M.  Cheverus  had  inspired  so  much  respect  and  interest, 
that  no  one  would  presume  to   indulge   in   the  least 


44  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

unkind  reflection ;  and  the  captain  of  the  ship  hence- 
forth ordered,  every  Friday  and  Saturday,  a  dinner 
offish  to  be  prepared  for  the  Catholic  missionary. 
During  the  whole  passage,  there  was  a  constant  re- 
ciprocity of  respect  and  kind  attentions  between  M. 
Cheverus  and  all  those  on  board  ;  and,  on  the  3d  of 
October,  1796,  he   arrived  safely  at  Boston. 

The  Abbe  Matignon  received  him  as  an  angel  sent 
by  Heaven  to  his  aid,  tenderly  embraced  him,  with 
tears  of  joy,  and  declared  it  was  the  happiest  day  of 
his  life.  He  wrote  immediately  to  Bishop  Carroll, 
announcing  the  happy  news,  and  requesting  full  pow- 
ers for  the  new  missionary,  whose  credentials  he  for- 
warded to  him  at  the  same  time.  One  of  these  was  a 
letter  from  Monseigneur  de  Herce,  Bishop  of  Dol,  an- 
other from  Monseigneur  de  Gonsans,  Bishop  of  Mans  ; 
both  bearing  honorable  testimony  to  the  character  of 
M.  Cheverus,  and  attesting  the  purity  of  his  faith, 
his  unwearied  ardor,  the  fervor  of  his  piety,  his 
great  attainments  in  science,  and  his  entire  devoted- 
ness  to  the  throne  of  his  kings,  and  to  the  head  of 
the  church.*     Bishop  Carroll  gave  thanks  to  Heaven 

*  "  Attestamur  ipsum  cum  zelo  et  pietate  singulari  se  ges- 
sisse  tanquam  dignum  et  commendabilem  Dei  ministrum,  .... 
Sana  doctrina  imbutum,  scientia  et  religione  commendabi- 
lem, regno  regique  Francorum  addictissimum  et  devotissi- 
mum,  atque  propter  zelum  cathoiicse  fidei,  sanctae  sedis  apos- 
tolicffi  inviolabile  studium,  necnon  constantem  verbi  divini 
prsedicationem,  et  pertinacem  impiorum  conatibus  resistentiam, 
a  parochia  sua  violenter  ereptum.  " , . . . 


CONDITION  OF   THE  MISSION  AT  BOSTON.  45 

for  the  precious  intelligence,  and,  without  delay,  in- 
vested M.  Cheverus  with  full  powers  for  entering  on 
his  ministry. 

M.  Matignon  and  M.  Cheverus,  strong  in  their 
confidence  in  each  other,  but  still  more  in  their  re- 
liance on  God,  commenced  in  earnest  the  great 
work  committed  to  their  charge.  The  enterprise 
was  indeed  great,  and  beset  with  a  thousand  dif- 
ficulties. It  may  give  some  idea  of  this,  to  make 
known  the  condition  of  the  mission,  and  the  state  of 
public  opinion.  The  mission  embraced  the  whole  of 
New  England,  of  which  Boston  was  the  capital,  and 
the  Penobscot  and  Passamaquoddy  tribes  of  Indians ; 
that  is  to  say,  a  territory  of  more  than  three  hundred 
miles  in  extent,  over  which  the  Catholics  were 
scattered,  and  so  far  removed  from  each  other  that  it 
was  impossible  to  assemble  them  for  the  public  exer- 
cises of  religion.  The  missionaries  were,  therefore, 
obliged  to  travel,  themselves,  over  this  vast  region, 
to  go  and  preach  the  gospel  to  families,  one  after  an- 
other, at  a  distance,  sometimes,  of  two  or  three  hundred 
miles,  to  administer  the  sacraments  and  to  offer  mass 
in  each  dwelling;  for,  even  supposing  they  could  have 
been  assembled,  there  was  no  church.  The  difficul- 
ties, of  which  we  have  been  speaking  as  to  New  Eng- 
land, were  infinitely  greater  among  the  Penobscot  and 
Passamaquoddy  Indians.  Wandering  in  the  woods, 
on  the  farthest  borders  of  the  State  of  Maine,  hun- 
dreds of  miles  from  Boston,  to  preach  among  them, 


46  LIFE   OF  CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

required  an  absence  of  several  months  from  the  heart 
of  the  mission.  All  these  difficulties,  however,  they 
accounted  as  trifles.  Long  journeys,  toil,  and  fatigue, 
were  their  portion  ;  and  in  these  an  apostle  places  his 
happiness.  But  their  zeal  encountered  a  more  serious 
obstacle. 

The  whole  country,  and  Boston  especially,  being 
inhabited  by  English  colonists,  who  had  brought  with 
them  all  the  religious  prejudices  of  their  native  coun- 
try, was,  as  we  have  before  remarked,  filled  with  a 
great  variety  of  religious  sects,  which,  though  in  doc- 
trine differing  widely  from  each  other,  were  all  united 
on  one  point,  hatred  of  the  Catholic  religion.  The 
ministers  of  these  various  sects  never  ceased  declaim- 
ing against  it ;  representing  the  Romish  church  to  the 
people  as  an  impure  assemblage  of  idolaters,  of  cor- 
rupt and  most  despicable  men  ;  as  the  new  Babylon 
accursed  in  the  Apocalypse ;  as  the  enemy  of  God 
and  man  ;  its  doctrines  as  a  hideous  collection  of  im- 
pieties, absurdities,  and  errors ;  its  priests  as  vile 
impostors,  who  could  not  be  too  studiously  avoided. 
These  opinions,  constantly  held  up  to  view  in  their 
preaching,  were  generally  believed,  and  had  taken 
root  in  all  ranks  of  society ;  so  that  the  name  of  Cath- 
olic was  everywhere  held  in  execration,  that  of  priest  in 
horror,  and  the  small  number  of  the  faithful,  who  dwelt 
in  the  country,  were  given  over  to  hatred  and  contempt; 
the  rather,  that,  being  mostly  Irish  exiles,  they  were 


PREJUDICES  AGAINST   THE  CATHOLIC  PRIESTS.  47 

poor,  and  consequently  obtained  no  consideration  on 
their  own  account. 

To  found  a  Catholic  church  in  a  country  where 
such  a  state  of  feeling  existed,  seemed  almost  a  hope- 
less enterprise.  No  cooperation  could  be  expect- 
ed, still  less  could  preaching  be  made  acceptable, 
among  a  people  imbued  with  such  prejudices;  one 
could  look  to  encounter  only  impediments  and 
opposition.  Mr.  Thayer,  a  zealous  priest,  had  al- 
ready attempted  the  work,  and  failed ;  and  yet 
who  would  have  appeared  to  be  better  suited  to 
the  undertaking?  He  had  formerly  been  a  Pres- 
byterian minister,  in  Boston,  and  was  afterwards  con- 
verted, at  Rome,  by  seeing  the  miracles  wrought 
at  the  tomb  of  the  venerable  Benedict  Labre.  He 
then  became  a  Catholic  priest,  and  preached  the  faith 
in  the  very  place  where  he  had  once  proclaimed 
error.  It  would  seem  that  his  example,  as  well  as 
his  preaching,  ought,  therefore,  to  have  produced  the 
most  favorable  impression.  But  some  measures  to 
which  his  zeal  prompted  him  gave  offence  ;  and  a  de- 
fiance, addressed  to  the  Protestant  ministers,  exaspe- 
rated and  displeased  the  minds  of  people  to  such  a 
degree,  that  Bishop  Carroll  thought  it  best  to  with- 
draw him  from  Boston,  and  give  him  another  situa- 
tion. 

M.  Matignon  and  M.  Cheverus,  warned  by  such 
an  example,  saw  the  necessity  of  the  greatest  circum- 
spection,  in  their  own  conduct ;  and  concluded  that. 


48  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

the  first  thing  to  be  attempted  by  them  was,  to  uproot 
these  many  odious  prejudices,  which,  while  they  re- 
mained, would  always  present  an  insuperable  barrier 
to  their  efforts  to  do  good.  They  believed  that  the 
only  effectual  refutation  of  such  calumnies,  and  the 
best  means  of  success,  was,  to  exhibit  lives  wholly 
apostolical,  to  observe  the  law  of  charily  in  all  their 
intercourse,  and  to  be  always  mild  and  gentle  in  their 
language.  A  new  and  touching  sight  was  then  wit- 
nessed in  Boston  ;  two  men,  examples  of  every  virtue, 
living  together  as  brothers,  without  distinction  of  prop- 
erty, with  no  difference  of  purpose  or  of  will ;  always 
ready  to  yield  to  each  other,  to  anticipate  each  other 
in  rendering  the  most  polite  and  delicate  attentions  ; 
possessing,  in  truth,  but  one  heart,  and  one  soul;  filled 
with  the  same  desire,  that  of  doing  good  ;  the  same 
inclinations,  those  which  pointed  to  virtue;  and  the 
same  love  of  whatever  is  good,  upright,  and  charitable. 
These  choice  spirits  maintained  the  most  pleasant 
intercourse,  the  tenderest  intimacy,  yet  they  never 
descended  to  familiarity  ;  in  the  simplicity  of  their 
mutual  relations,  there  was  always  something  great 
and  noble,  in  unison  with  the  elevation  of  their  senti- 
ments, and  the  dignity  of  their  characters.  A  Prot- 
estant journal,*  in  speaking  of  them,  says:  ^' Those, 
who  witnessed  the  manner  in  which  they  lived  to- 
gether, will  never  forget  the  refinement  and  elevation 
of  their   friendship;   it   surpassed    those    attachments 

*  Boston  Monthly  Magazine,  [June,  1825.J 


EXEMPLARY  LIFE    OF   MATIGNON   AND   CHEVERUS.        49 

which  dehght  us  in  classical  story,  and  equalled  the 
lovely  union  of  the  son  of  Saul  and  the  minstrel  of 
Israel." 

To  the  example  of  a  union  which  religion  alone 
could  render  so  perfect,  they  added  that  of  a  life  of 
poverty  and  privation,  but  honorable  and  dignified, 
passed  wholly  in  prayer,  in  study,  or  the  labors  of  the 
ministry ;  that  is  to  say,  in  perfecting  themselves,  or 
rendering  mankind  wiser  and  better.  They  did  good, 
whenever  an  occasion  presented  itself,  and  "  blushed 
to  find  it  fame "  ;  they  exhausted  their  strength  in 
journeyings  and  toils ;  travelling  on  foot,  at  all  hours 
of  the  day  and  night,  and  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  to 
carry,  often  many  miles'  distance,  consolation  to  the 
afflicted,  secret  assistance  to  the  indigent,  words  of 
reconciliation  to  families  at  variance.  In  short,  they 
sacrificed  themselves  without  reserve  for  their  fellow- 
men,  and  regarded  all  their  sacrifices  as  nothing.  It 
was  clearly  evident,  that  no  interested  motives  influ- 
enced them,  that  they  expected  no  reward  in  this 
world,  neither  fortune  nor  glory,  and  that  all  their  hopes 
were  in  heaven.  Whoever  approached  them  always 
met  with  a  kind  and  gracious  reception  Whoever  had 
a  favor  to  ask,  found  them  always  obliging,  and  happy 
to  do  a  kindness.  In  fine,  wherever  they  were  seen, 
they  were  recognised  as  men  different  from  others, 
possessing  more  elevated  sentiments,  souls  more  filled 
with  love,  hearts  more  generous ;  in  a  word,  as  men 
of  God,  —  as  apostles. 
5 


50  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

Such  a  beautiful  exhibition  of  virtue  could  not  fail 
to  strike  the  inhabitants  of  Boston  with  astonishment ; 
and  every  man's  conscience  exclaimed,  "Are  these, 
then,  the  Catholics,  about  whom  we  have  heard  so 
many  evil  things  ?  the  Papists,  who  have  been  de- 
picted to  us  in  colors  so  dark?" 

Such,  however,  was  the  strength  of  prejudice,  that 
it  did  not  yield  all  at  once,  before  such  exalted  virtue. 
It  required  a  long  time  to  disabuse  minds  so  preju- 
diced. At  length,  after  M.  Cheverus  had  been  in 
Boston  a  year,  a  Protestant  came  to  him,  and  ad- 
dressed him  in  language  remarkable  for  its  candor. 
"  Sir,"  said  he,  ^'  I  have  studied  you  closely,  for  a 
whole  year;  I  have  watched  all  your  steps,  and  ob- 
served all  your  actions;  I  did  not  believe  that  a  min- 
ister of  your  religion  could  be  a  good  man.  I  come 
to  make  you  the  reparation  which  honor  demands. 
I  declare  to  you,  that  I  esteem  and  venerate  you,  as 
the  most  virtuous  man  that  I  have  ever  known." 

To  this  first  testimony,  others,  no  less  remarkable, 
were  soon  added.  A  Protestant  journal*  informs  us, 
that  a  minister,  wishing  to  bring  over  to  his  own  sect 
men  whose  virtue  and  learning  were  so  much  talked 
of  in  the  city,  visited  them,  one  day,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  endeavouring  to  convince  them  of  the  fal- 
sity of  their  religious  belief,  and  the  excellence  of 
his  own.  Struck  by  the  simplicity  of  the  undertak- 
ing,  they   received    the   clergyman   kindly,    thanked 

•[Boston  Monthly  Magazine,  i6iU] 


TRIBUTE  OF  A  PROTESTANT  JOURNAL.  51 

him  for  his  benevolent  intentions,  and,  after  having 
heard  patiently  all  he  had  to  say,  replied  with  so 
much  clearness  to  what  he  had  advanced,  and  de- 
fended the  Catholic  faith  with  so  much  ability,  that 
he  was  confounded  and  knew  not  what  to  answer. 
On  his  return  to  the  friends  to  whom  he  had  com- 
municated his  design,  he  said,  "  These  men  are  so 
learned,  there  is  no  doing  any  thing  with  them  in 
argument;  so  pure  and  evangelical  in  their  Hves, 
there  is  no  reproaching  them ;  and  I  fear  it  will  give 
us  much  trouble  to  check  their  influence." 

This  anecdote  may  afford  some  idea  of  the  great 
change  that  had  been  wrought  in  public  opinion  by 
the  virtuous  conduct  of  M.  Matignon  and  M.  Cheve- 
rus.  To  contempt  had  succeeded  esteem,  and  even 
veneration.  "  In  contemplating  them,"  says  the  Prot- 
estant journal  already  quoted,  "  who  can  doubt,  that 
human  nature  is  permitted  to  approach  perfection, 
and  assume  a  near  and  sweet  resemblance  to  the 
Man  Divine  ?  The  Pagan  world  was  full  of  in- 
stances of  lofty  and  virtuous  conduct,  which  dignified 

and  exalted  human  nature The  hero,  the  seer,  and 

the  sage,  had  existed  before  Christianity  was  known ; 
but  the  saint  is  a  character  which  has  been  added  to 
the  catalogue  since.  Socrates,  the  wise  and  the  good, 
had  not,  like  St.  John,  a  master's  bosom  on  which 
to  lean  his  head,  where  all  was  purity  and  love." 

After  so  favorable  a  change  had  taken  place  in 
public  opinion,  M.  Cheverus  could  mount  the  pulpit, 


52  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

and  preach  with  confidence ;  for  men  soon  give  up 
their  prejudices  against  a  rehgion  whose  ministers 
they  revere.  This  was  exactly  what  took  place. 
From  the  commencement  of  his  mission,  he  had 
preached,  catechized,  and  aided,  to  the  best  of  his 
ability,  his  worthy  friend,  M.  Matignon.  His  preach- 
ing had  created  a  great  sensation ;  the  Catholics  had 
heard  and  treasured  up  his  words  with  a  holy  joy. 
His  discourses  were  always  easy  and  natural,  because 
they  came  from  the  heart ;  always  persuasive,  because 
they  required  nothing  but  what  he  himself  practised. 
But  now  that  prejudice  had  given  way  to  an  opposite 
sentiment,  the  Protestants  wished  to  hear  him  ;  and, 
having  once  heard,  they  desired  to  hear  him  again 
and  again,  and  to  become  his  friends.  They  ad- 
mired the  union  of  so  much  simplicity  with  such 
nobleness  of  soul ;  the  goodness  of  his  heart,  which 
appeared  in  all  his  expressions  ;  and  the  tender  char- 
ity which  breathed  forth  in  every  accent.  "  His 
eloquence,"  said  one  of  their  journals,*  "  was  of  the 

most  persuasive  order; every  thing  he  said  seemed 

to  flow  from  pure  and  elevated  feelings His  ser- 
mons were  succinct  and  sweet  effusions  of  piety  and 
affection ;  the  seraphim  seemed  to  have  touched 
his  lips  with  a  coal  from  the  altar  of  the  MosX 
High." 

M.   Matignon,  whose  pure  and  noble   soul    was  a 
stranger  to  any    thought  of  rivalship  or  jealousy,  re- 
*  [Boston  Monthly  Magazine,  ibid.] 


ABATEMENT  OF  PREJUDICE  AGAINST  THE  CATHOLICS.    53 

joiced  in  the  great  success  of  his  colleague,  and  the 
consideration  it  brought  him.  Whenever  he  heard 
him  praised,  his  countenance  became  radiant  with 
joy  and  happiness.  He  was,  indeed,  a  father,  who 
gloried  in  the  triumphs  of  his  beloved  son.  M.  Chev- 
erus,  on  his  part,  perceiving  his  benevolent  disposi- 
tion, and  his  cordial  and  disinterested  friendship,  which 
seemed  to  say,  like  St.  John  the  Baptist,  in  speaking 
of  the  Saviour,  "  He  must  increase,  but  I  must  de- 
crease," Oportet  ilium  crescere,  me  autem  minuij  en- 
deavoured, in  every  way,  to  manifest  his  gratitude 
and  tenderness,  his  respect  and  devotion.  Whatever 
might  be  his  superiority  in  certain  respects,  M.  Chev- 
erus  regarded  himself  only  as  his  disciple  and  child, 
doing  nothing  except  by  his  orders,  and  under  his 
direction.  He  followed  his  advice,  even  in  regard  to 
his  sermons,  and,  before  he  went  into  the  pulpit,  every 
thing  had  generally  been  arranged  between  them. 
In  the  mean  time,  the  general  esteem,  with  w^hich 
M.  Cheverus  was  honored,  extended  to  his  flock. 
No  one  could  believe  that  the  sheep  of  such  a  pastor 
could  be  the  base  and  despicable  beings  the  Prot- 
estant clergy  represented  them  to  be.  Prejudice 
diminished  daily ;  and  it  was  not  long  before  the 
instructions  of  M.  Cheverus,  and  the  docility  with 
which  the  Catholics  conformed  to  them,  dissipated 
it  entirely.  He  often  repeated  to  his  hearers  the 
precept  of  the  Apostle,  that  we  must  silence  those 
who  speak  evil  of  us,  by  means  of  charity,  kindness, 
5* 


54  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

and  holy  example  ;  that  it  is  the  characteristic  of  true 
piety  to  be  always  kind,  to  minister  to  the  happiness 
of  all  around  us,  to  maintain,  in  all  circumstances 
and  towards  all  persons,  an  honorable  course  of  con- 
duct, and  to  be  honest  and  scrupulous  in  all  our  deal- 
ings. When  he  had  instructed  them  in  their  duties 
towards  individuals,  he  explained  to  them  those  they 
owed  to  the  state ;  enforced  upon  them  their  obli- 
gation to  obey  the  laws,  even  when  they  might  be 
evaded  without  incurring  punishment ;  to  respect  the 
magistrates  ;  to  contribute  to  the  good  order,  peace, 
and  prosperity  of  the  state ;  and,  if  it  should  be 
attacked,  to  employ  in  its  defence,  if  necessary,  their 
strength,  their  fortunes,  and  their  lives.  The  Catho- 
lics listened  to  his  teachings,  and  practised  upon  them. 
Of  all  the  religious  societies  then  in  Boston,  this  was 
the  most  just,  the  most  charitable,  the  most  devoted 
to  whatever  is  good.  In  the  last  war  between  the 
United  States  and  England,  the  Catholics  were  the 
most  zealous  in  the  defence  of  the  city  of  Boston ; 
the  most  prompt  in  rendering  assistance,  wherever  it 
was  required ;  the  most  active  in  laboring,  even  with 
their  own  hands,  in  the  construction  of  ramparts  and 
fortifications  for  the  protection  of  the  city.  So  that 
truth  obliged  the  Protestants  themselves  to  do  them 
the  justice  of  saying,  in  the  newspapers  of  the  day, 
that  they  were  as  good  citizens  as  they  were  upright 
and  honorable  men.  Division  ceased  from  that  time  ; 
and  relations  of  mutual  esteem  and  respect  were  es- 


THE  CONFIDENCE    REPOSED   IN   M.  CHEVERUS.  55 

tablished.  M.  Cheverus,  being  interrogated  by  the 
Holy  See  in  regard  to  the  state  of  his  mission,  was 
able  to  reply  :  *'  In  this  country,  where,  only  a  few 
years  since,  the  Catholic  church  was  anathematized, 
and  the  name  of  priest  was  held  in  horror,  we  are 
now  respected  and  beloved  ;  we  are  thought  well  of, 
and  are  kindly  treated  :  In  Jiac  nostra  civitate,  et  aliis 
locis,  uhi  paucis  ahhinc  annis,  infandum,  ut  ita 
dicam,  erat  Ecclesia  Catholica,  horrendum  sacerdotis 
nomen,  nos  veneratione  et  amiciiid  prosequuntur,  be- 
nigne  de  nobis  cogitant,  benigne  in  nos  agunt.'^ 

The  universal  confidence,  which  M.  Cheverus 
had  inspired,  soon  brought  him  into  new  and  in- 
conceivably multiplied  relations.  All  persons,  wheth- 
er Protestants  or  Catholics,  wished  to  become  ac- 
quainted with  so  amiable  a  man  ;  and  he,  always 
accessible  and  kind,  welcomed  every  one  with  the 
most  affectionate  cordiality.  Even  if  they  had  no 
business  to  transact  with  him,  and  had  been  at- 
tracted merely  by  the  pleasure  of  enjoying  the 
charms  of  his  society,  he  took  no  offence,  but  thought 
it  a  great  thing  for  him  to  make  virtue  and  religion 
lovely.  But  usually  those  who  visited  him  were 
the  afflicted,  who  came  to  receive  words  of  conso- 
lation from  his  lips ;  or  the  unfortunate,  who  came 
to  lay  before  him  their  necessities,  and  to  solicit  his 
charity  ;  or  those  whose  minds  were  troubled,  and 
doubtful  what  course  to  pursue,  who  came  to  ask 
his    counsel.     And,  what  is  very   remarkable,  many 


56  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

Protestant  ladies,  from  the  highest  ranks  of  society, 
came  to   open    their   hearts   to    him,  and    to   reveal 
their  most  secret  troubles  of  conscience,  or  of  a  do- 
mestic character ;    and    this  was   carried  so  far,  that 
one  of  these    ladies   having   said   to    him,    one  day, 
that  what  was  most  repugnant  to  her  feelings  in  the 
Catholic  religion,  and  would  prevent  her  ever  embra- 
cing it,  was  the  doctrine  of  confession ;  M.  Cheverus, 
with  his  delightful  smile,  said  to  her:  "  No,  Madam, 
you  have  not  so  great  a  repugnance  to  confession  as 
you  think;    on  the  contrary,  you  experience  its  ne- 
cessity and    its  value ;    since,  for   a   long    time,  you 
have  confessed  to  me,  without    knowing  it ;    confes- 
sion   is   nothing    more    than    the    disclosure    of   the 
troubles  of  conscience,  which  you  have  been  pleased 
to   make    to  me,  in    order   to    receive    my  advice." 
Thus    M.    Cheverus    was   the   confidant   and    coun- 
sellor of  all ;  and  one  of  the  lessons,  which  mothers 
most   frequently  inculcated  on  their  children  was,  in 
all   the    troubles   and    difficulties    of   life,    to    go    to 
M.    Cheverus,   ask   his    advice,   and    follow    it.     A 
Protestant  writer*  informs  us,  "  that  he  had  as  many 
confidential  communications  out  of  the  confessional,  as 
in  it ; "   because  every  one  "  knew  his  bosom  would 
be  a  safe  repository  of  their  secrets  and  their  griefs, 
and  that  his  wisdom  would  suggest  the  most  honor- 
able course  of  duty." 

*  [Boston  Monthly  Magazine,  ibid."} 


MANAGES  THE  CONCERNS   OF  HIS  PARISHIONERS.        57 

The  confidence,  which  was  reposed  in  M.  Chev- 
erus,  was  not  confined  to  asking  his  advice.  Many- 
persons,  who  could  not  manage  their  temporal  affairs 
themselves,  gave  them  up  entirely  to  his  direction,  and 
he  gave  them  his  services  as  agent.  These  were  wid- 
ows, orphans,  domestics,  the  infirm,  and  those  who 
were  entirely  unacquainted  with  business,  and  had 
neither  relations  nor  fi-iends  who  would  attend  to  their 
concerns.  These  placed  their  money  in  his  hands ; 
and,  like  a  good  father  of  a  family,  happy  in  doing 
a  pleasure  to  his  well-beloved  children,  he  invested 
it  in  the  funds,  in  his  own  name,  and  managed  it  as 
judiciously  as  the  most  skilful  financier;  and  when 
the  dividends  w^ere  declared,  he  drew  the  interest, 
and  carried  it  immediately  to  those  to  whom  it  be- 
longed. Again,  there  were  individuals,  who  feared, 
that,  after  their  death,  difficulties  might  arise  among 
their  heirs,  or  that  their  intentions  would  not  be 
faithfully  carried  into  execution.  These  constituted 
M.  Cheverus  their  general  legatee,  and  were  then 
free  from  all  anxiety  ;  for  they  felt  assured  that  every 
thing  would  be  disposed  of  in  the  most  just,  as  well 
as  in  the  wisest  manner.  Whenever  these  persons 
were  competent  to  manage  their  own  affairs,  M.  Chev- 
erus did  not  take  charge  of  them  ;  but  he  directed 
them  by  wise  counsels  how  to  act;  instructed  them 
what  to  do,  and  what  to  avoid  ;  and,  by  such  advice, 
far  more  precious  than  alms-giving,  he  aided  them  to 
rise  above  want,  and  to  attain  to  that  honest  compe- 
tence, which  a  wise  man  always  desires. 


58  LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

Let  it  not  be  thought  that  all  this  business  ever 
diverted  the  attention  of  M.  Cheverus  from  his  other 
duties.  These  charitable  occupations  constituted  his 
recreation  after  his  meals,  and  all  the  rest  of  his  time 
was  given  to  study,  and  the  offices  of  his  ministry. 
A  regular  portion  of  each  day  he  devoted  to  ecclesi- 
astical science ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  he  was  careful 
not  to  neglect  studies  of  a  different  character.  An 
attentive  and  discriminating  observer  of  society,  he 
had  remarked  the  high  estimation  in  which  human 
learning  and  those  who  possessed  it  were  held ;  the 
little  consequence  accorded  to  those  who  were  unskilled 
in  it ;  and  the  general  taste  for  literary  acquirements, 
even  among  women,  who  read  and  criticized  works 
of  genius.  Hence  he  concluded,  that,  in  order  to 
remove  the  reproach  of  ignorance,  which  had  been 
cast  upon  the  Catholic  clergy,  and  to  win  for  his 
teachings  that  esteem  and  consideration  which  should 
attend  the  preacher,  he  must  yield  to  no  one  in  this 
respect ;  that  it  was  all  in  vain  for  a  clergyman  to 
be  thoroughly  acquainted  with  his  own  profession; 
the  world,  which  accounts  this  learning  as  noth- 
ing, would  not  the  less  stigmatize  him  with  the 
reproach  of  ignorance,  and,  consequently,  be  but 
little  disposed  to  listen  to  him,  and  to  believe  him. 
He  therefore  applied  himself  to  those  studies  which 
were  held  in  highest  honor  in  Boston.  He  acquired 
so  perfect  a  knowledge  of  English,  says  a  journal* 

*  [Boston  Monthly  Magazine,  ibid.] 


DEVOTES  HIMSELF  TO  BELLES  LETTRES.  59 

published   in  that  city,    that   "he  had  made    himself 
master  of  the    difficulties  of  that  language,  in  its  ar- 
rangement, construction,  and    etymology."     He   read 
all  the  distinguished  authors  in  the  language,  whether 
in    prose  or   in    verse,  and    retained    in    his   memory 
the   finest   portions   and  most   striking    passages  they 
contained ;    so   that   he    astonished    all   their   learned 
men  by  the  extent  of  his  knowledge,  as  well  as  by 
the  appropriateness  of  his  quotations  ;  and  yet  his  at- 
tainments  in    this  department  by  no  means  equalled 
his  acquaintance  with  French,  Greek,  and  Latin  lit- 
erature.     He    was    accustomed    daily    to   refresh   his 
memory  by  reading  the  classic  authors.     "He  seem- 
ed," says  the  journal  already  quoted,  "  to  pass  from 
business,   and    from   the   altar,   to  the   groves  of  the 
Academy  by  a  private    and    short   path  of  his  own, 
and   then    return  to  his  duties  with   new  vigor,  from 
drinking    at    the    fountains    and   culling    the    undying 
flowers  of   the    Muse."     The  extent   and  variety  of 
his  information   connected   him    with  all    the  learned 
men   of  Boston  ;    the    literary   societies  of   that  city 
wished    him  to  join  them,    and    attend    their    nieet- 
ings.     He  courteously  assented,  in  the  hope  that  such 
connexions  might  one  day  become  useful  to  religion, 
and  be,  perhaps,  the  means  intended  by  God  for  the 
accomplishment  of  his  designs.     He  aided,  to  the  ut- 
most of  his  power,  the    dissemination  of  knowledge, 
and  the  means  of  instruction  ;   and  when  Mr.  Shaw 
was  about  founding  the  Boston  Athenaeum,  he  assisted 


60  LIFE  OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

him  with  his  counsels  and  personal  exertions,  and 
even  gave  many  books  from  his  own  library ;  so  that 
he  was  considered,  in  that  city,  as  one  of  the  princi- 
pal friends  and  most  ardent  promoters  of  elegant  lit- 
erature. 

A  reputation  so  brilliant  in  every  respect  could 
not  long  remain  immured  within  the  compass  of  Bos- 
ton. Bishop  Carroll,  of  Baltimore,  was  soon  informed 
of  his  surpassing  talents  and  virtues ;  and  thought  that 
a  priest  of  such  merit  ought  not  to  remain  longer  an 
assistant  merely,  but  that  he  was  worthy  to  be  placed 
at  the  head  of  a  large  church.  He  consequently 
wrote  to  him,  and  proposed  to  him  to  take  charge  of 
the  church  of  St.  Mary,  at  Philadelphia.  Honor- 
able as  tliis  letter  was  to  the  character  of  M.  Chev- 
erus,  it  afflicted,  him  deeply.  His  heart  could  not 
endure  the  thought  of  leaving  his  worthy  friend, 
M.  Matignon,  who  had  summoned  him  from  England, 
and  was  to  him  as  a  beloved  father.  He  therefore 
thanked  Bishop  Carroll  for  this  mark  of  his  confi- 
dence, and  prayed  him  to  let  him  remain  still  longer, 
and  indeed  always,  with  his  excellent  friend.  The 
Bishop  consented,  and  M.  Cheverus,  free  from  all 
apprehension,  devoted  himself  with  new  zeal  to  his 
holy  labors. 

He  soon  after  set  out  on  a  visit  to  the  Slate  of 
Maine,  about  two  hundred  miles  from  Boston.  He 
had  several  times  before  passed  through  this  region, 
and  groaned  in  spirit  over  the  condition  in  which  he 


VISITS   AGAIN  THE   STATE  OF  MAINE.  61 

found  the  good  Catholics  who  resided  there.  Al- 
though more  numerous  than  in  all  the  other  New 
England  States,  except  Massachusetts,  where  they 
amounted  to  nearly  six  hundred,  they  had  neither 
priest  nor  place  of  assembly  for  religious  worship. 
M.  Cheverus,  in  conjunction  with  the  principal  in- 
habitants of  the  country,  caused  a  neat  and  pretty 
church  to  be  erected  at  Newcastle,  the  most  cen- 
tral place  in  this  section  of  his  mission,  which  he 
dedicated  to  St.  Patrick,  the  patron  saint  of  the  Irish, 
and  placed  over  it  one  of  his  countrymen,  M.  Ro- 
magne,  a  priest  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Mayenne. 
It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  joy  of  these  good 
Catholics,  and  the  blessings  which  they  henceforth  in- 
voked upon  the  name  of  M.  Cheverus.  From  this 
place  he  continued  his  journey,  and  visited  the  coun- 
try of  the  Penobscot  and  Passamaquoddy  Indians, 
where  dwelt  great  numbers  of  savages,  wandering 
through  the  woods,  without  fixed  habitations,  and  di- 
viding their  time  between  fishing  and  hunting. 

He  had  at  this  time  swiie  little  acquaintance  v/ith 
their  language  ;  for  want  of  a  better  teacher,  in  order 
to  learn  it,  he  had  put  himself  under  the  tuition  of 
an  old  squaw,  who  possessed  a  very  slight  knowl- 
edge of  the  English,  just  sufficient  to  enable  her  to 
explain  her  own  language.  By  the  aid  of  the  ques- 
tions he  addressed  to  her,  she,  doubtless  for  the  first 
time  in  her  life,  declined  her  nouns  and  conjugated 
her  verbs.  M.  Cheverus  wrote  down  what  she  said, 
6 


62  LfFE    OF    CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

and  studied  afterwards  in  private  what  she  had  dic- 
tated to  him.  While  engaged  in  these  labors,  one 
thing  struck  him  as  very  singular.  He  perceived 
that  she  made  use,  in  conjugating,  of  suffix  pro- 
nouns,* like  those  in  the  Hebrew  language.  Being 
surprised  at  this,  he  made  her  repeat  what  she  had 
said,  questioned  her  in  various  ways,  and  at  length 
felt  completely  assured  of  the  curious  analogy  that 
existed,  in  this  respect,  betw^een  the  Hebrew  and  the 
language  of  these  Indians.f 

Having  by  this  means  learned  something  of  the 
language,  and  being  provided  with  all  that  was  ne- 
cessary to  exercise  his  ministerial  functions,  and  to 
celebrate  mass,  in  a  country  destitute  of  every  thing, 
like  that  he  was  about  to  visit,  he  set  out,  under  the 

*  Suffix  pronouns,  in  Hebrew,  are  those  which  are  joined 
to  certain  words,  so  as  to  form  one  and  the  same  word. 

f  The  remark  made  by  M.  Cheverus  upon  the  language  of 
these  Indians  has  been  made  respecting  all  the  American 
dialects.  The  languages  of  the  various  American  nations, 
whether  in  the  north  or  the  south,  whether  wholly  barbarous  or 
partially  civilized,  have  all  this  striking  analogy,  that  they  form 
their  conjugations  by  adding  syllables  which  modify  the  mean- 
ing and  the  relations  of  verbs.  From  this  remarkable  uniform- 
ity, and  many  other  grammatical  analogies,  the  learned  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  all  the  American  dialects  are 
derived  from  the  same  language,  and,  consequently,  that  all 
the  nations  of  that  hemisphere  have  sprung  from  one  com- 
mon stock,  from  one  primitive  race,  who  landed  in  the 
country. 


HIS  FIRST  MEETING  WITH  THE  INDIANS.  63 

direction  of  a  guide,  on  foot,  with  his  staff  in  his  hand, 
like  the  first  preachers  of  the  gospel.  Never  before 
had  he  undertaken  such  a  journey,  and  all  the  cour- 
age of  an  apostle  was  necessary  to  support  one  un- 
der its  fatigues  and  difficulties.  A  dark  forest,  no 
traces  of  a  road,  briers  and  thorns,  through  which 
they  were  sometimes  obliged  to  open  themselves  a 
path,  and  then,  after  many  hours  of  fatigue,  no  nour- 
ishment but  the  morsel  of  bread  they  had  carried 
with  them.  At  night,  their  only  bed  some  branches 
of  trees  spread  on  the  ground,  around  which  large 
fires  must  be  lighted,  in  order  to  keep  off  serpents 
and  other  dangerous  animals,  that  might  have  come 
to  destroy  them  during  their  sleep.  They  travelled 
thus  for  several  days,  when,  one  morning  (it  was  Sun- 
day), they  heard  many  voices  singing  in  harmonious 
concert  at  a  distance.  M.  Cheverus  listened,  then 
went  on,  and,  to  his  great  astonishment,  discovered 
it  to  be  a  well-known  chant,  the  royal  mass  of  Du- 
mont,  with  which  the  great  churches  and  cathedrals 
of  France  are  wont  to  ring  during  their  most  solemn 
celebrations.  What  a  delightful  surprise,  and  what 
tender  emotions  his  heart  experienced  !  He  felt  it  to 
be  a  scene  at  once  affecting  and  sublime  ;  for  what 
could  be  more  affecting  than  to  see  a  people,  and 
that  a  savage  people,  who  had  been  destitute  of  a 
priest  for  fifty  years,  and  yet  were  not  the  less 
faithful  in  celebrating  the  Lord's  day  ;  and  what  more 
sublime  than  the  sacred   chants,  led  by  piety  alone. 


64  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

resounding  afar  in  this  immense  and  majestic  forest, 
repeated  by  every  echo,  while  they  were  borne  to 
heaven  by  every  heart  ? 

Led  on  by  the  joy  of  finding  at  last  those  whom 
he  had  sought,  M.  Cheverus  soon  joined  the  reli- 
gious assembly.  They  had  met  in  a  place  called  In- 
dian Old  Town,  on  an  island  formed  by  the  Penob- 
scot river,  in  the  midst  of  the  forest.  At  the  sight 
of  the  black  gown,  which  they  had  not  looked  upon 
for  fifty  years,  they  utter  cries  of  joy  and  delight, 
they  run  to  meet  him,  call  him  father,  and  place  him 
on  a  bear-skin,  their  seat  of  honor.  M.  Cheverus 
then  explained  to  them  the  object,  and  named  the 
probable  duration  of  his  visit;  he  directed  their  at- 
tention to  the  goodness  of  God,  who  had  not  forgot- 
ten them,  and  had  now  sent  him  to  them,  to  dis- 
pense his  word,  to  declare  his  mercy,  and  to  admin- 
ister the  holy  sacraments ;  and  then  appointed  the 
place  and  the  hour  for  them  to  meet,  during  the 
time  that  he  should  be  among  them.  After  this 
address,  in  which  the  instinct  of  the  savage  dis- 
covered, at  once,  all  the  goodness  and  the  charity 
of  a  messenger  of  God,  they  invited  him  to  share 
their  repast.  This  was  a  new  trial  of  the  courage 
and  strength  of  mind  of  M.  Cheverus.  Should  he 
refuse,  it  would  give  pain  to  those  who  offered  so 
freely ;  or  offend  them,  if  they  should  suspect  his 
refusal  to  proceed  from  haughtiness  or  contempt ; 
or  give  them   umbrage,  if  they  attributed  it  to   fas- 


HIS  MISSIONARY   LABORS.  65 

tidiousness  of  taste,  over  scrupulous  in  regard  to 
a  neatness  with  which  they  could  well  dispense. 
And  yet  how  could  he  accept?  Every  thing  was 
nauseously  filthy  and  disgusting.  M.  Cheverus  over- 
came his  scruples,  swallowed  the  broth  that  was 
prepared,  and  ate  of  the  meat  they  presented  on 
the  bark  of  a  tree,  the  only  plate  of  the  Indian. 
But  after  the  repast,  he  said  to  them,  with  that  tone 
of  perfect  kindness  so  peculiar  to  himself,  that,  if  he 
had  thus  partaken  of  their  repast,  it  was  for  the  sake 
of  pleasing  them,  and  to  celebrate  his  happiness  in 
finding  himself  among  them  for  the  first  time  ;  but 
that  hereafter  bread  would  be  sufficient  for  him,  and 
he  should  need  nothing  besides. 

Bread  was,  in  fact,  almost  the  only  food  of 
M.  Cheverus  during  the  time  he  passed  among 
these  tribes.  Sometimes,  as  he  has  since  related,  he 
found  a  little  cheese  to  eat  with  his  bread,  and  this 
he  considered  quite  a  feast.  Once  only,  for  the 
space  of  more  than  two  months,  he  ate  some  boiled 
fish  ;  and  yet  his  labors  were  toilsome  and  constant. 
Every  day  he  taught,  catechized,  confessed,  or  bap- 
tized; and  was  also  obliged  to  travel  from  place  to 
place,  sometimes  to  go  to  a  great  distance,  to  visit 
the  infirm  and  the  sick.  Added  to  all  this,  the  Pas- 
samaquoddy  tribe,  which  was  at  a  considerable  distance 
from  the  Penobscot,  and  consisted  of  nearly  as  large 
a  Christian  community,  demanded  equally  his  care 
and  attention.  He  passed  continually  from  one  tribe 
6* 


66  LIFE    OF    CAllDKNAL   CHEVERUS. 

to  the  other,  diffusing  everywhere  the  blessings  of 
his  ministry,  and  joyfully  enduring  privations  of  every 
kind.  But  these  privations  were  nothing.  He  found 
it  far  more  trying,  while  hearing  the  confessions  of 
these  savages,  to  hold  his  head  close  to  theirs,  and, 
in  this  situation,  to  breathe  for  hours  the  infected 
atmosphere  exhaled  from  their  bodies, — the  disgust- 
ing result  of  shocking  filthiness  and  habitual  sw^eat ; 
and,  to  crown  all  his  sufferings,  to  find  himself  in- 
fested with  the  most  revolting  insects,  with  which 
their  bodies  were  covered  ;  the  only  perquisite,  as  he 
said  afterwards,  in  relating  this  story,  that  he  derived 
from  his  ministry.  When  M,  Cheverus  first  found 
himself  in  this  condition,  he  felt  faint,  and  was  nearly 
made  sick  by  it ;  and  he  was  obliged  to  summon  to 
his  aid  all  the  energy  that  faith  imparts,  to  over- 
come his  strong  repugnance. 

As  a  recompense  for  so  many  sacrifices,  he  had 
the  consolation  of  seeing  his  ministry  blessed.  The 
minds  of  the  people  were  in  the  best  possible  dispo- 
sition. The  Jesuit  missionaries,  who  first  planted 
the  faith  among  these  savage  tribes,  had  so  thor- 
oughly instructed  them,  and  trained  them  so  well  to 
the  practice  of  religion  and  the  exercises  of  worship, 
that  these  poor  people,  even  after  being  left  desti- 
tute for  fifty  years,  had  not  yet  forgotten  their  cate- 
chism. The  fathers  had  taught  it  to  their  sons,  the 
mothers  to  their  daughters ;  and  not  a  Sunday  nor 
a  festival  was    suffered  to  pass,  without   being   cele- 


FINDS  CONSOLATION  IN  THIS  MISSION.  67 

brated  by  that  portion  of  the  mass  and  the  service, 
which  the  people  are  allowed  to  chant.  They  were 
all  extremely  docile,  and  eager  to  practise  what  was 
taught  them.  There  was  not  one,  even  of  the  chil- 
dren, who  did  not  say  the  catechism  with  devout 
attention,  and  the  appearance  of  feeling  the  words 
they  uttered.  Such  was  the  purity  of  their  man- 
ners, that,  a  woman  having  committed  a  grave  and 
known  offence,  the  whole  tribe  was  in  consternation. 
M,  Cheverus  believed  it  was  his  duty  to  subject  the 
offender  to  a  public  penance,  as  in  the  first  ages  of 
the  church.  Accordingly,  when  he  celebrated  the 
holy  mysteries,  under  the  branches  of  a  tree  dis- 
posed in  the  form  of  a  chapel,  she  remained  with- 
out the  entrance,  ashamed  and  penitent,  imploring 
the  prayers  of  the  faithful ;  and  it  was  not  until 
she  had  submitted  to  this  trial  for  some  time,  that 
she  was  allowed  to  enter  the  enclosure,  and  to  unite 
with  the  others  in  the  celebration  of  the  mass. 

To  purity  of  manners  they  joined  a  truly  amiable 
simplicity  and  uprightness.  At  the  commencement 
of  his  ministry  among  these  savage  tribes,  M.  Chev- 
erus thought  he  ought  to  make  use  of  an  inter- 
preter in  confession,  lest  he  should  be  deceived  in 
his  judgments,  by  reason  of  his  yet  imperfect  ac- 
quaintance with  their  language  ;  and,  although  this 
mode  of  confession,  which  admits  a  third  party  into 
the  secrets  of  the  conscience,  was  disagreeable,  yet 
these    good   savages,   both   men   and    women,  came. 


68  LIFE    OF    CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

and,  with  exemplary  frankness  and  simplicity,  told 
their  faults  to  the  interpreter,  who  faithfully  trans- 
mitted them  to  the  confessor,  and  then  repeated  to 
the  penitents  the  questions  and  advice  which  the 
confessor  wished  to  address  to  them.  This  inter- 
preter was  an  old  man,  remarkable  for  his  piety  and 
the  austerity  of  his  manners;  he  thought  M.  Chev- 
erus  ought  to  treat  the  sinful  more  severely,  and 
would  sometimes  reprove  him  by  saying,  "  Stop, 
my  father,  you  are  not  severe  enough  ;  these  people 
are  not  eager  at  prayer;  they  should  perform  more 
penance." 

To  describe  the  veneration  that  these  savages  enter- 
tained for  M.  Cheverus  would  be  impossible.  Wher- 
ever he  went,  he  was  received  with  demonstrations  of 
the  greatest  joy,  and  the  wife  of  the  chief,  or  queen  of 
the  tribe,  alone  had  the  privilege  of  waiting  on  him. 
Through  the  power  of  his  gentleness  and  charity,  he 
was  as  a  sovereign  among  them,  and  his  least  com- 
mands were  promptly  executed.  Having  one  day 
seen  a  boat  loaded  with  rum  approach  the  shore, 
and  fearing,  that,  if  this  liquor  should  be  landed 
and  sold  to  the  savages,  they  would  become  intox- 
icated, and,  in  consequence,  unmanageable,  he  went 
to  the  master  of  the  boat,  and,  assuming  a  tone  of 
authority,  said  to  him ;  "I  am  king  here ;  I  am 
empowered  to  make  the  custom-house  regulations; 
you  cannot  land  that  liquor."  The  captain  insisted, 
and  was   about  to  discharge  the  boat  on  the  shore. 


KINDNESS    OF   THE  INDIANS  TOWARD   HIM.  69 

M.  Cheverus  immediately  called  some  Indians,  and 
ordered  them  to  knock  in  the  heads  of  the  rum- 
barrels,  the  moment  they  touched  the  shore.  They 
promised  a  prompt  execution  of  his  orders ;  but  the 
terrified  captain  withdrew,  and  was  seen  there  no 
more. 

These  kind  savages  esteemed  themselves  happy, 
when  they  could  do  any  thing  agreeable  to  their  be- 
loved missionary.  It  was  an  honor  much  coveted, 
to  serve  him  as  a  guide  through  the  immense  for- 
ests he  was  obliged  to  traverse,  in  the  exercise  of 
his  ministry.  Led  by  the  branches  of  trees,  or  cer- 
tain plants,  whose  direction  indicated  the  cardinal 
points,  they  always  conducted  him  safely  to  the  ap- 
pointed place.  One  of  them  carried  on  his  head  a 
birch-bark  canoe,  for  the  purpose  of  crossing  the 
lakes  and  rivers  that  came  in  their  way.  In  these 
canoes  there  were  but  three  seats.  An  Indian  was 
placed  at  each  end,  and  the  missionary  in  the  mid- 
dle, obliged  to  remain  in  a  horizontal  posture,  be- 
cause the  least  movement  would  have  overset  the 
frail  bark.  When  it  was  necessary  to  ascend  a 
fall  or  rapid  current,  or  pass  a  difficult  place,  the 
Indians,  looking  at  each  other  in  order  to  act  in 
concert,  exerted  themselves  with  so  much  address 
and  skill,  and  so  simultaneously,  that  the  obstacle 
was  surmounted  in  an  instant,  as  if  by  enchant- 
ment. One  day  they  were  obliged  to  ascend  a 
very   rapid   current,  where  there  was  much  danger  ; 


70  LIFE  OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

M.  Cheverus  perceived  the  peril,  and  communi- 
cated it  to  the  rowers.  "  With  you,  my  father," 
said  one  of  them,  full  of  faith  and  trust,  "  no  fear ; 
but  without  you,  fear."  The  Indians  carried  their 
missionary  not  only  across  lakes  and  rivers,  but 
even,  sometimes,  quite  out  to  sea.  On  one  occa- 
sion, M.  Cheverus  was  met  and  recognised  by  a 
captain  of  a  ship,  off  the  coast,  who  reproached  him 
for  his  rashness  in  exposing  his  life  in  such  a  man- 
ner, in  the  midst  of  the  waves,  on  so  frail  a  bark, 
and  offered  to  take  him  on  board  his  ship,  and 
convey  him  to  his  place  of  destination.  M.  Chev- 
erus refused  this  obliging  offer,  for  fear  of  giving 
pain  to  his  dear  Indians,  and  the  next  day  he 
arrived  safely  at  the  part  of  his  mission  that  he 
wished  to  visit. 

Thanks  to  religion,  which  inspires  and  preserves 
whatever  is  honorable  and  delicate,  M.  Cheverus 
found,  even  among  these  savages,  elevated  sentiments, 
that  might  put  the  most  civilized  people  to  the  blush. 
He  there  met  with  grateful  hearts,  that  gave  him 
numerous  proofs  of  affection,  which  he  often  loved 
to  relate  ;  mothers,  tender  and  affectionate ;  children, 
who  carried  their  filial  piety  even  to  heroism  ;  great 
and  generous  souls,  that  had  the  most  exalted  ideas 
of  honor  and  every  duty.  He  often  related  anec- 
dotes, truly  wonderful,  of  this  people.  We  shall  give 
only  the  following. 

Some  English  travellers  had  brought  to  this  coun- 


STRIKING   ANECDOTE  OF  A  SAVAGE.  71 

try  the  news  of  the  death  of  Louis  the  Sixteenth, 
who  was  led  to  the  scaffold  by  his  own  subjects, 
and  sacrificed  to  the  revolutionary  frenzy,  in  the 
presence  of  sixty  thousand  of  them,  who  stood  im- 
movable with  arms  in  their  hands,  without  one  of 
them  daring  to  defend  him.  The  Indians  could 
not  credit  this  news.  The  French  missionaries,  so 
mild  and  so  good,  who  had  preached  to  them,  and 
M.  Cheverus  himself,  in  whom  all  the  virtues  of 
their  first  apostles  lived  again,  had  given  them  the 
idea,  that  France  contained  a  people  honorable  and 
generous ;  and  this  idea  could  not  be  reconciled, 
in  their  minds,  with  the  account  of  the  English 
travellers.  One  of  their  chiefs,  therefore,  sought 
M.  Cheverus,  and  said  to  him:  *^  Father,  we  know 
you  do  not  lie  ;  tell  us,  then,  the  truth.  The  En- 
glish tell  us  that  the  French  have  put  their  king 
to  death  ;  this  is  impossible  ;  it  is  to  make  us  hate 
the  French,  that  they  broach  this  falsehood.  Tell 
us  how  it  is."  M.  Cheverus,  greatly  embarrassed 
how  to  answer  this  question,  thought  it  would  be 
sufficiently  correct  to  say,  it  was  not  the  French 
nation  that  had  put  their  king  to  death,  but  rather 
some  madmen,  who  had  seized  upon  the  govern- 
ment, and  that  all  France  disowned  them,  with  the 
deep  horror  and  execration  that  their  crime  de- 
served. "  Ah  !  my  father,"  replied  the  savage, 
much  moved,  "  since  it  is  so,  I  no  longer  love  the 
French.     It  was  not    enough  to  disclaim  this  crime ; 


72  LIFE  OF    CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

they  ought  to  have  thrown  themselves  between 
the  king  and  his  assassins,  and  have  died  rather 
than  suffered  his  person  to  be  touched.  Hold,  my 
father,"  added  he  ;  ^'  it  is  as  if  one  should  come 
to  kill  you,  while  among  us,  and  we  should  al- 
low you  to  be  killed.  Should  we  not  be  guilty  ? 
But  mind,  we  are  better  than  the  French  ;  for  we 
would  all  be  killed  to  save  you."  The  surprise 
of  M.  Cheverus  at  this  reply  was  inexpressible ; 
he  affectionately  pressed  the  hand  of  the  savage 
possessed  of  such  noble  sentiments,  and  embraced 
him  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  which  was  the  only  an- 
swer he  could  make. 

After  having  passed  three  months  among  these 
good  people,  who  loved  him  as  a  father,  and  hav- 
ing promised  them  that  he  would  visit  them  every  * 
year,  and  pass  as  much  time  with  them,  M.  Chev- 
erus returned  to  Boston.  Here,  a  new  opportunity 
awaited  him  for  the  display  of  his  zeal,  and  for  ex- 
hibiting to  the  world  what  a  soul  inspired  by  religion 
can  do.  The  yellow  fever  was  raging  in  Boston; 
many  had  already  fallen  victims  to  it.  Every  imagi- 
nation was  carried  away  ;  each  one  trembled  for  fear 
of  being  attacked  by  a  disease,  which  was  consid- 
ered contagious;  and,  panic  prevailing  over  the  sen- 
timents of  nature,  as  soon  as  the  fever  appeared  in 
any  place,  every  one  abandoned  the  house,  and  the 
sick  person  was  left  on  his  bed  of  pain,  without 
assistance  and   without  consolation.     In  this  extrem- 


HIS  KINDNESS   DURING   THE  YELLOW   FEVER.  73 

ity,  M.  Cheverus  did  not  hesitate  to  devote  himself 
entirely  to  the  sick,  and  he  was  soon  seen  hastening 
from  house  to  house,  the  apostle  and  attendant  of  all 
who  were  diseased.  As  soon  as  he  heard  of  any- 
one being  seized,  whether  Protestant  or  Catholic, 
he  hastened  to  him,  like  a  consoling  angel,  pressed 
the  hand  of  the  sick  person  in  his  own,  to  evince 
the  extreme  interest  he  took  in  his  condition,  and 
spoke  to  him  in  a  tone  of  voice,  and  with  an  ex- 
pression of  countenance,  that  told  his  tender  solicitude. 
His  words  tranquillized  their  minds,  and  calmed  their 
imaginations,  which,  under  such  circumstances,  were 
often  more  diseased  even  than  their  bodies  :  then,  like 
a  tender  mother,  he  nursed  them  personally,  lavished 
upon  them  all  the  attention  that  could  be  desired, 
raising  them  up,  placing  them  at  ease  on  their  beds, 
or  making  these  himself,  and  rendering  them  services 
the  most  disgusting  to  nature,  I  would  say  the  most 
humiliating,  if  chanty  did  not  ennoble  every  act 
she  inspires.  In  vain  his  friends  represented  to  him 
that  he  ought  not  tlius  to  expose  himself;  that  he 
was  putting  in  jeopardy  a  life,  which  might  be  so 
useful  to  religion  and  to  society.  Nothing  could 
arrest  him.  '•  it  is  not  necessary  that  I  should  live," 
he  replied,  "  but  it  is  necessary  tiiat  the  sick  should 
be  taken  care  of,  that  the  dying  should  be  assisted." 
And  during  the  whole  time  the  fever  prevailed, 
these  exercises  of  charity,  as  laborious  as  they  were 
perilous,  were  not  intermitted  for  a  single  day.  Such 
7 


74  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

was  the  generous  devotedness  of  which  M.  Cheverus 
gave  New  England  an  example,  not  only  on  this 
occasion,  but  whenever  that  disease  appeared  again. 
He  was  always  seen  at  the  post  of  danger,  beside  the 
couch  of  the  sick  and  the  dying.  The  ministers  of 
the  various  other  sects  fled,  or,  with  their  families, 
kept  themselves  aloof;  the  Catholic  priest  was  alone 
among  the  dead  and  the  dying,  himself  braving  death 
for  his  brethren,  with  a  calmness  and  equanimity 
which  seemed  to  suspect  no  danger,  as  well  as  with 
a  modesty  and  a  humility  which  were  hardly  aware 
of  any  sacrifice,  in  that  which  all  the  world  admired 
as  the  most  beautiful  example  of  self-devotion. 

Such  noble  conduct  raised  the  veneration  and  at- 
tachment of  the  inhabitants  of  Boston  for  M.  Chev- 
erus to  the  highest  point.  From  that  time,  he  was 
regarded  as  the  apostle  of  charity,  the  champion  of 
religion.  Wherever  he  appeared,  all  delighted  to  do 
him  honor ;  in  all  assemblies  the  first  place  was 
always  for  him,  and  it  was  offered  to  him  with  the 
more  readiness,  as  his  modesty  always  prompted  him 
to  take  the  lowest ;  and  he  never  seemed  even  to 
suspect  his  claims  to  these  testimonies  of  esteem  and 
honor,  for  which  he  thought  himself  indebted  solely  to 
the  kindness  of  his  new  fellow-citizens.  It  is  still  more 
remarkable,  that,  at  all  dinners  which  politeness  re- 
quired him  to  attend,  and  where  sometimes  thirty 
ministers  of  various  sects  were  also  present,  the 
master  of  the  house,  and  the  ministers  themselves, 
always  invited  M.  Cheverus,  as  most  entitled  to  that 


HIGH  ESTIMATION   IN   WHICH  HE  WAS  HELD.  75 

distinction,  to  ask  a  blessing,  which  he  did  with  the 
sign  of  the  cross,  and  the  custonniary  prayers  of  the 
CathoHc  church.  Prejudice  was  silenced  by  respect 
for  his  person,  and  his  prayer  was  devoutly  listened 
to.  When  John  Adams,  President  of  the  United 
States,  visited  Boston,  M.  Cheverus  was  invited  to 
the  magnificent  dinner  by  which  the  city  wished  to 
welcome  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  republic  ;  and 
the  two  highest  places  were  reserved  for  the  Presi- 
dent and  himself.  Mr.  Adams,  struck  by  this  mark 
of  respect  paid  to  a  Catholic  priest,  in  a  city  where, 
but  a  few  years  before,  the  name  alone  was  a  title 
of  scorn,  could  not  avoid,  during  the  repast,  making 
this  remark  respecting  it  to  M.  Cheverus:  ''What 
most  astonishes  me,  on  this  occasion,  is,  to  see  my- 
self here,  and  to  see  you  here ;  "  alluding,  by  this 
observation,  to  the  violent  opposition,  which  the  city 
of, Boston  had  formerly  made  to  his  nomination  to 
the  presidency."^ 

*  Cardinal  Cheverus,  in  relating  this  story,  remarked  upon 
the  noble  conduct  of  the  inhabitants  of  Boston.  They  had 
been  very  much  opposed  to  the  election  of  Mr.  Adams  ;  but, 
when  he  was  once  chosen,  they  viewed  him  no  longer  as 
the  man  who  was  disagreeable  to  them,  but  as  the  chief 
magistrate  of  the  nation,  whom  it  was  right  and  proper  to 
honor;  and  he  was  received  by  them  with  greater  demon- 
strations of  respect  than  any  other  president. 

[I  give  this  as  I  find  it  in  the  original ;  but  whkt  the  worthy 
author  means  by  "  the  violent  opposition  of  the  city  of  Boston 
to  the  nomination  of  John  Adams,  to  the  presidency,"  I  am 
utterly  at  a  loss  to  conjecture.—  TV.] 


76  J^IFE  OF   CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

M.  Cheverus  received  yet  another  mark  of  consid- 
eration, from  the  government,  which  affected  him  still 
more  sensibly,  because  it  concerned  religion  and  con- 
science. The  legislative  assembly,  having  drawn  up 
the  form  of  the  oath,  which  was  to  be  taken  by  all 
the  citizens  who  appeared  at  the  elections,  feared 
that  something  might  be  found  in  it  contrary  to  the 
freedom  of  conscience  of  the  Catholics ;  and  in  con- 
sequence they  wrote  to  M.  Cheverus,  to  consult 
him  on  the  subject,  requesting  him  to  modify  the 
form,  if  he  should  find  any  thing  in  it  contrary  to 
the  principles  of  the  Catholic  faith,  and  declaring, 
that  the  whole  was  referred  entirely  to  his  judgment. 
M.  Cheverus,  flattered  by  a  proceeding  as  honorable 
to  him  as  it  was  to  the  assembly,  who  proved  by  this 
act  how  well  they  understood  liberty  of  conscience, 
drew  up  the  formula,  and  carried  it  himself  to  the 
assembly  ;   it  was  accepted,  and  passed  into  a  law. 

Amid  this  universal  respect,  M.  Cheverus,  occu- 
pied solely  with  the  interests  of  religion  and  the 
church,  thought  the  time  had  arrived  for  executing 
a  great  project,  which  he  had  long  meditated.  There 
was  as  yet  in  Boston  no  proper  church  for  the  ex- 
ercises of  the  Catholic  religion  ;  hitherto,  divine  wor- 
ship had  been  celebrated  only  in  private  houses, 
converted  into  chapels.  It  was  even  impossible  any 
longer  to  find  a  place  sufficiently  large  to  hold  either 
the  Catholics,  whose  numbers  were  daily  increased 
by  crowds  of  emigrants,  arriving  from  all  countries ; 


OPENS   A  SUBSCRIPTION   FOR  BUILDING  A  CHURCH.      77 

or  the  Protestants  themselves,  who  were  desirous  of 
hearing    the   sermons,   and   witnessing   the    touching 
ceremonies   of  the    Romish   church.     M.   Cheverus, 
therefore,  opened  a  subscription   for   the   purpose  of 
erecting    a    CathoHc   church   in.  Boston.      The   first 
subscriber   was   John   Adams,   the    President   of  the 
United    States;    who    wished    thus    to    manifest    to 
M.  Cheverus  the   attachment    he    felt   for  him,  and 
the    interest   he    took    in    whatever   could  give   him 
pleasure.      This   conspicuous   example,  on   the    part 
of  the    Protestant  chief  magistrate   of  a    nation  al- 
most  wholly    Protestant,  could    not    but    find    imita- 
tors ;    and,    in    fact,    the    subscription-list    was   soon 
filled  with  the   most   honorable  names,  Protestant  as 
well  as   Catholic.     Men  were    everywhere   eager   to 
subscribe  liberally  to  the  project.     M.  Cheverus  im- 
mediately consulted  with   some    architects   upon    the 
plan  of  a  church,  conformable  to  the  amount  he  ex- 
pected to   realize.     Each   gave   his   opinion   on   the 
subject ;  the  artists  wished  to  have  it  a  large,  elegant, 
and    majestic  edifice ;    M.   Cheverus,  to    give    it   the 
grave,  austere,  and  religious  character,  which  he  con- 
sidered the  most  fitting  ;  and  to  dispose  all  its  parts 
with  reference  to  the  convenient  celebration  of  divine 
worship,  or  the  better  accommodation  of  the  priests 
and  the  faithful  worshippers.     After  mature  reflection, 
the  plan  was  fixed  upon  ;  but  M.  Cheverus  did  not 
push  on  the  work  with  that  haste  which  makes  no  cal- 
culation, nor  that  imprudent  rashness  which  proceeds 
7* 


78  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

without  reflection.  He  began  immediately,  and  laid  the 
foundations  of  the  church,  and  raised  the  walls,  as  far 
as  the  money  in  his  hands  enabled  him  to  go.  These 
funds  being  exhausted,  he  stopped  the  work,  and  for- 
bade a  single  stone  to  be  laid,  until  new  resources 
should  be  obtained.  It  was  to  no  purpose,  that  offers 
of  credit  were  made,  and  that  he  was  importunately 
urged  to  permit  the  building  to  proceed,  with  assurances 
that  payment  might  be  made  at  his  own  pleasure  ; 
he  never  would  consent  to  it.  Such  a  course  was 
repugnant  to  his  delicacy.  "  The  funds,"  said  he, 
"  depend  on  the  generosity  of  others,  and,  as  I  can- 
not be  answerable  for  them,  I  will  not  expose  any 
one  to  loss."  The  labors  were  therefore  entirely 
suspended  ;  and,  even  until  the  completion  of  the 
edifice,  he  would  never  suffer  them  to  proceed,  ex- 
cept as  the  funds  in  his  possession  enabled  him  to 
defray  the  expense.  So  much  was  he  governed  by 
the  principle,  dictated  alike  by  equity  and  wisdom, 
of  never  contracting  imprudent  debts. 

While  the  church  was  building  in  Boston,  the  an- 
cient churches  of  France  were  re-opened  for  the  Cath- 
olic worship  ;  and  religion,  triumphing  over  the  impo- 
tent efforts  of  the  numerous  enemies  who  had  sworn 
its  destruction,  arose  from  its  ruins.  Pius  the  Seventh 
had  just  concluded  with  Bonaparte  the  compact  of 
1801  ;  and,  by  virtue  of  this  treaty,  the  French 
bishops  and  priests,  who  had  been  so  long  banished, 
returned   to   their   homes,  re-established  the   worship 


HIS  RELATIONS  URGE  HIM  TO  RETURN  TO  FRANCE.  79 

that  had  been  aboUshed,  and  experienced  the  double 
happiness  of  again  beholding  their  own  country,  and 
exercising  their  ministry  there  in  peace.  The  family 
and  friends  of  M.  Cheverus,  afflicted  at  not  seeing 
him  return  with  the  other  exiles,  wrote  to  him,  ear- 
nestly requesting  his  immediate  return.  The  letter 
was  most  urgent ;  the  reasons  given  most  powerful. 
Why,  then,  delay  his  return  ?  His  country  opened 
her  gates  to  him ;  Mayenne  awaited  her  pastor ;  that 
widowed  and  desolate  church  sighed  for  his  coming. 
His  heart  was  next  appealed  to ;  his  love  for  his  re- 
lations, who  were  inconsolable  at  his  absence  ;  for  his 
friends,  who  were  impatient  to  see  him  once  more ; 
for  France,  which  had  the  first  claim  upon  his  servi- 
ces. The  anxiety  that  this  letter  gave  M.  Cheverus 
cannot  be  described.  His  affectionate  heart  seemed 
rent  in  two.  On  the  one  hand,  his  love  of  coun- 
try urged  him  strenuously ;  he  should  have  such 
delight  in  again  seeing  beautiful  France,  his  family, 
and  his  friends  !  He  represented  to  himself  all  his 
brethren  in  exile,  returning  with  joy  to  their  native 
soil,  and  embracing,  with  tears  of  affection,  their 
relatives  and  friends.  And  why  should  not  he,  also, 
return  to  it?  He  could  there  serve  the  cause  of 
religion  ;  the  success,  he  had  obtained  in  times  of 
difficulty,  was  to  him  a  pledge  of  still  happier  re- 
sults in  days  of  tranquillity.  But,  on  the  other  hand, 
how  could  he  leave  his  beloved  Catholics,  who  were 


80  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

SO  devoted  to  him  ;  the  infant  church,  which  had  so 
much  need  of  him  ;  or  even  his  many  excellent  and 
generous  friends  of  a  different  faith,  to  whom  he 
might  perhaps  be  useful  ?  How,  especially,  could  he 
desert  the  Abbe  Matignon,  his  father,  his  tender 
friend,  the  half  of  his  own  soul  ?  How  overwhelm 
and  afflict  him,  and  perhaps  cause  him  to  die  with 
grief  for  his  departure  ? 

While  M.  Cheverus  was  thus  fluctuating  and  ir- 
resolute, impelled  by  his  affections,  at  the  same  time, 
to  return  to  France  and  to  remain  in  America,  he 
received,  on  the  9th  of  April,  1803,  a  letter  from 
Bishop  Carroll,  of  Baltimore,  who,  being  apprized 
of  the  danger  he  incurred  of  losing  so  worthy  a 
fellow-laborer,  hastened  to  write  him,  and  conjure 
him  not  to  desert  his  post.  This  prelate,  a  man 
of  a  superior  mind,  and  a  virtue  worthy  of  the  first 
ages  of  the  church,  detailed  to  him,  with  great  force, 
all  the  reasons  for  remaining,  and  ended  by  declaring 
to  him  that  he  was  convinced  that  such  was  the  will 
of  God.  M.  Cheverus,  whose  humility  was  such  that 
he  preferred  rather  to  follow  the  advice  of  others 
than  his  own  opinion,  and  to  be  guided  by  the  spirit 
of  obedience,  in  preference  to  his  own  will,  had  no 
sooner  read  this  letter  than  all  his  doubts  vanished. 
He  thought  he  discerned  in  it  the  order  of  Provi- 
dence, and  that  was  sufficient  for  his  faith.  Di- 
rectly he  made  a  sacrifice  to  God  of  his  country, 
and  of  all  the  warm   affections  that  summoned    him 


COMPLETION  AND  CONSECRATION  OF  THE  CHURCH.  81 

back  to  it.  The  Sunday  after  Easter,  he  announced 
to  his  flock  that  his  part  was  taken  ;  that  he  should 
remain  with  them,  and  share  their  good  or  evil 
fortune  ;  that  they  would  supply  to  him  the  place 
of  all  his  relations  and  friends  in  France,  whom  he 
relinquished  for  their  sake.  The  joy  of  the  Catho- 
lics, and  of  all  the  inhabitants  of  Boston,  at  this 
news,  may  be  better  imagined  than  described.  The 
fear  of  losing  him  had  spread  consternation  among 
them  all,  and  they  were  beside  themselves  with  joy, 
when  assured  that  he  would  remain  with  them. 
That  they  might  give  him  a  signal  testimony  of 
their  gratitude,  they  made  renewed  and  greater  sac- 
rifices for  the  completion  of  the  church,  commenced 
so  long  before. 

By  these  means,  the  building  of  the  church  went  on 
rapidly,  and,  four  months  after,  M.  Cheverus  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  this  great  edifice  completed,  and 
of  planting  the  cross  on  its  summit.  He  immediate- 
ly induced  the  Abbe  Matignon  to  write  to  -Bishop 
Carroll,  and  inform  him  of  this  welcome  intelligence, 
inviting  him  to  come  to  Boston,  and  consecrate  the 
new  temple  to  the  Lord,  on  the  29th  of  September, 
St.  Michael's  Day.  Bishop  Carroll  felt  no  incli- 
nation to  refuse.  The  dedication  of  the  first  Cath- 
olic church  in  a  city  like  Boston  was  an  event  of 
the  deepest  interest  to  the  faith;  besides,  he  antici- 
pated with  pleasure  the  happy  days  he  should  pass, 
in    company  with  two   ecclesiastics   so    distinguished 


82  LIFE   OF  CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

as  the  Abbe  Maiignon  and  M.  Cheverus.  He  ac- 
cordingly reached  Boston  before  the  day  appointed ; 
and,  on  the  29th  of  September,  1803,  he  dedicated 
the  new  church,  under  the  name  of  the  Church  of 
the  Holy  Cross.  Nothing  could  be  more  magnifi- 
cent than  this  ceremony.  The  church  was  adorned 
with  drapery  and  garlands,  arranged  with  taste  ;  the 
altar,  embellished  with  rich  ornaments,  and  surrounded 
by  clergymen,  whose  devout  and  becoming  demeanor 
was  a  still  more  precious  ornament.  The  crowd  was 
immense ;  Protestants,  Catholics,  all  wished  to  wit- 
ness the  ceremony  ;  and,  finally,  M.  Cheverus,  by  the 
discourse  he  pronounced  on  this  occasion,  gave  the 
finishing  stroke  to  the  beauty  of  the  celebration. 
Inspired,  doubtless,  by  the  occasion,  by  the  pres- 
ence of  the  first  pastor  of  his  church  in  America, 
and  by  the  great  concourse  of  people  present,  he 
spoke  with  a  fervor  of  soul,  an  energy  of  thought 
and  expression,  that  moved  the  whole  audience. 
Bishop  Carroll  himself  could  not  restrain  his  emo- 
tion ;  and,  as  the  orator  descended  from  the  pulpit, 
he  fell  on  his  neck,  shed  tears  of  joy,  and  blessed 
Heaven  for  having  given  to  the  church  in  Boston 
so  powerful  a  minister  of  the  Word.  On  the  eve- 
ning of  this  celebration,  M.  Cheverus  had  the  ex- 
terior of  the  church  illuminated,  with  all  possible 
magnificence,  and  with  that  exquisite  taste  he  so 
eminently  possessed.  The  whole  front  was  resplen- 
dent with  light;   and   the  richly  gilded  cross,  which 


SERVICES    AND   PREACHING   IN    THE   NEW    CHURCH.     83 

surmounted  the  edifice,  sparkling  with  a  thousand 
lamps,  seemed  from  that  day  to  assert  its  sway- 
over  Boston,  and  to  plant  there  its  empire.  All 
the  inhabitants,  without  distinction,  rejoiced  in  the 
beauty  of  the  spectacle,  complimented  M.  Cheverus, 
and  seemed  to  share  his  happiness.  As  he  witnessed 
this  affecting  scene.  Bishop  Carroll  mentally  com- 
pared what  he  now  beheld  with  the  state  of  re- 
ligion in  Boston  when  M.  Cheverus  arrived  there, 
and  he  was  at  a  loss  for  words  to  express  his  sat- 
isfaction and  surprise. 

This  church,  being  once  consecrated,  became  the 
theatre  of  the  most  ardent  and  indefatigable  zeal  to 
M.  Cheverus  ;  he  caused  every  part  of  it  to  be 
ornamented,  and  provided  it  with  linen  and  holy 
vessels,  with  appropriate  ornaments,  and  even  with 
an  organ.  All  the  services  were  performed  there, 
with  a  propriety  and  majesty,  which  attracted  a  crowd 
of  people,  generally  as  numerous  as  the  dimensions 
of  the-  building  would  allow  ;  and  every  Sunday,  or 
holyday,  he  had  the  consolation  of  communicating 
the  holy  word  to  this  multitude  of  auditors,  among 
whom  there  were  always  a  great  many  Protestants. 
To  this  mode  of  instruction  he  attached  the  great- 
est importance  ;  regarding  it  as  the  essential  and  most 
important  means  of  bringing  back  his  erring  brethren 
to  the  true  faith,  and  of  confirming  the  Catholics  in 
it.  Moreover,  that  these  latter  might  never  absent 
themselves,  on  Sundays  and  holydays,  no  other  pub- 


84  J-IFB  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

lie  mass  was  performed  except  high  mass,  which  was 
accompanied  by  a  sermon.  The  other  masses  were 
said  in  private,  the  church  being  closed,  and  no  one 
could  be  present  at  them  except  by  special  permis- 
sion, which  could  only  be  obtained  by  proving  the 
impossibility  of  attending  high  mass,  or  by  promising 
to  come  to  it. 

While  M.  Cheverus  was  devoting  himself  to  these 
useful  and  consolatory  labors,  he  received  a  letter 
from  the  prison  in  Northampton,  which  called  him 
to  the  most  painful  of  all  ecclesiastical  functions. 
Two  young  Irish  Catholics  confined  there,  although 
innocent,*  had  just  been  condemned  to  death  ;  the 
victims  of  that  erring  judgment  to  which  human 
weakness  is  so  liable,  but  still  more  of  the  ignorance 
of  their  lawyer,  and  an  unfortunate  concurrence  of 
circumstances  which  seemed  to  prove  their  guilt. 
Resigned  to  the  sentence  passed  upon  them,  and 
thinking  only  of  preparing  their  souls  for  the  awful 
passage  to  eternity,  they  wrote  to  M.  Cheverus,-  to  ask 
the  consolations  of  his  ministry  on  this  trying  occasion. 
Their  letter,  which  was  found  among  the  papers  of 
the  Cardinal,  although  it  shows  them  to  have  been 
uneducated  men,  proclaims  them  Christians  full  of 
faith.     "  We  adore,"  say  they,  "  in  the  judgment  of 

*  [There  is  no  reason  to  suppose  this  was  the  case.  —  See 
the  "  Trial  of  Dominic  Dayly  and  James  Hallagen,  for  the 
Murder  of  Marcus  Lyon."  If  there  had  been  a  want  of  skill 
in  their  advocate,  it  was  the  duty  of  the  court  to  protect  them. 
—  Tr.] 


HE   ATTENDS  TWO   COiNVICTS  85 

men,  liable  to  be  deceived,  the  decrees  of  Providence. 
If  v^^e  are  not  guilty  of  the  crime  imputed  to  us,  we 
have  committed  other  sins,  and,  to  expiate  them,  we 
accept  death  with  resignation.     We  are  solicitous  only 
about  our  salvation  ;  it  is  in  your  hands;  come  to  our 
assistance."     As  it  was  then  the  custom  in  the  United 
States  to   conduct   convicts  to  church   to  hear  a  fu- 
neral  discourse,  immediately  before    their   execution, 
they  addressed,  some   days  after,  a  second   letter  to 
M.  Cheverus,  praying  him  to  deliver  this  discourse. 
"  It  will  be  a  painful  task  for  you,"  said  they  to  him, 
"  after  the  fatigue  of  a  long  journey,  and  especially 
after  the  sad  impressions  made  on  your  heart  by  the 
sight  of  two  young  men   about  to  die,  in  the  bloom 
of  youth ;  but  you  will  not  refuse  us  this  favor,  and 
reduce   us  to  the   necessity  of  listening,  just   before 
we  die,  to  the  voice  of  one  who  is  not  a  Catholic." 
However   painful   this  twofold  duty  might  be  to  the 
feeling  heart  of  M.  Cheverus,  he  did  not  hesitate  to 
undertake  it,  and  promptly  acceded  to  the  request  of 
these  unfortunate  men.     Hatred  to  the    Catholic  re- 
ligion was  carried  to  such  an  extreme  in  Northamp- 
ton, that  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  he  could 
find  lodgings ;  no  one  would  receive  him.     He  passed 
many  days  in  the  prison  with  the  unhappy  convicts ; 
he    compassionated    their    condition,    and    persuaded 
them  to  look   on   death,  in  the   light  of  the  gospel, 
as  an  entrance  upon  a  better  life,  and  the  gale  of  true 
happiness.      These   instructions,  and  the   sacraments 
8 


86  LIFE   OF  CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

which  he  administered  to  them,  inspired  them  with 
such  holy  dispositions  of  soul,  that  the  last  moments 
of  life  lost,  in  their  view,  all  the  terrors  with  which 
they  affright  unassisted  nature ;  and  they  looked  on  the 
approach  of  death  not  only  without  distress,  but  with 
calmness,  serenity,  and  celestial  joy.  M.  Cheverus 
alone  was  overcome  with  grief,  his  heart  oppressed 
with  pity  ;  and  those,  whom  he  had  come  to  console, 
became  themselves  his  comforters.  "  Oh,  my  father !  " 
said  they  to  him,  "  how  we  pity  you !  Moderate 
your  grief,  or  it  will  make  you  ill."  At  length  the 
fatal  day  arrived  ;  and,  as  this  day  seemed  to  these 
men,  so  full  of  faith,  like  the  dawn  of  a  festal  day, 
they  wished,  at  the  time  of  their  execution,  to  ap- 
pear clean  and  decent,  and  asked  for  a  razor  to  shave 
themselves.  It  was,  at  first,  refused  them  ;  but,  upon 
M.  Cheverus's  pledging  his  word  that  they  should  not 
attempt  their  Hves,  their  request  was  granted.  At 
the  hour  appointed,  M.  Cheverus  went  with  them, 
and  all  the  funeral  train,  to  the  church.  There,  the 
Protestant  ministers  wished  to  pronounce  the  usual 
discourse  ;  but  M.  Cheverus  opposed  this  with  force 
and  energy.  "  The  will  of  the  dying,"  he  said  to 
them,  "is  sacred  ;  they  have  desired  to  have  no  one 
but  myself,  and  1  alone  will  speak  to  them."  He 
immediately  ascended  the  pulpit,  and,  casting  his 
eyes  upon  the  immense  crowd  that  surrounded  him, 
and  beholding  a  great  multitude  of  women,  who  had 
come  from  every  direction  to  be  present  at  the  execu- 


HIS   DISCOURSE  BEFORE  THE   EXECUTION.  87 

tion,  he  felt  himself  animated  with  holy  indigna- 
tion against  the  curiosity  which  had  attracted  to  that 
mournful  scene  such  a  crowd  of  spectators.  "  Ora- 
tors," cried  he,  in  a  loud  and  stern  voice,  "are 
usually  flattered  by  having  a  numerous  audience,  but 
I  am  ashamed  of  the  one  now  before  me.  .  .  .  Are 
there,  then,  men  to  whom  the  death  of  their  fellow- 
beings  is  a  spectacle  of  pleasure,  an  object  of  curi- 
osity !  .  .  .  But  you,  especially,  O  women !  what  has 
induced  you  to  come  to  this  place  ?  Is  it  to  wipe 
away  the  cold  damps  of  death  that  trickle  down  the 
faces  of  these  unfortunate  men  ?  Is  it  to  experience 
the  painful  emotions  which  this  scene  ought  to  in- 
spire in  every  feeling  heart  ?  No,  it  is  not  for  this. 
It  is,  then,  to  behold  their  anguish,  and  to  look  upon 
it  with  tearless,  eager,  and  longing  eyes.  Ah  !  I 
blush  for  you ;  your  eyes  are  full  of  murder.  .  .  . 
You  boast  of  possessing  sensibility,  and  you  say  it 
is  the  highest  virtue  in  woman ;  but  if  the  sufferings 
of  others  afford  you  pleasure,  and  the  death  of  a 
man  is  an  inviting  entertainment  for  your  curiosity, 
I  can  no  longer  believe  in  your  virtue.  You  forget 
your  sex,  you  are  a  dishonor  and  reproach  to  it." 
The  execution  took  place  immediately  after  this  dis- 
course, but  not  a  woman  dared  to  appear  at  it ;  all 
retired  from  the  church  ashamed  of  themselves,  and 
blushing  for  the  inhuman  curiosity  that  had  brought 
them  there. 

The  Protestants  in  this  region,  being  much  interested 


bo  LIFE    OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

in  the  discourse  of  M.  Cheverus,  wished  to  hear  him 
again  ;  and  he  yielded  to  their  wishes.  He  preached 
several  times  in  public 5  he  conversed  with  them  in 
private,  and  took  advantage  of  every  opportunity  to 
remove  their  prejudices  against  the  Catholic  religion, 
and  to  show  them  how  reasonable  were  its  doctrines, 
and  how  holy,  pure,  and  lovely  was  its  morality. 
Many  among  them,  struck  by  the  touching  spectacle 
presented  by  the  two  Irishmen  recently  executed, 
and  thinking  it  incredible  that  guilty  men  should 
possess  such  a  modest  and  calm  assurance  in  the 
presence  of  death,  begged  M.  Cheverus  to  tell 
them,  as  in  confession  he  had  acquired  a  more 
perfect  knowledge  of  the  facts,  whether  these  two 
young  men  were  really  innocent.  M.  Cheverus 
promised  to  give,  in  his  next  discourse,  the  only  re- 
ply it  was  possible  for  him  to  make  to  this  question ; 
and,  in  fact,  happy  in  the  opportunity  of  speaking  in 
defence  of  Catholic  truth,  before  a  large  concourse 
of  hearers  whom  curiosity  had  collected,  he  devel- 
oped, with  force  and  clearness,  the  doctrine  of  the 
church  respecting  confession  ;  spoke  of  its  divine  in- 
stitution, its  important  advantages,  and  the  inviolable 
secrecy  imposed  upon  the  confessor,  which  he  can- 
not break  even  to  save  a  kingdom.  The  Protest- 
ants were  so  much  pleased  with  this  discourse  of 
M.  Cheverus,  and  with  the  interesting  character  of 
his  private  conversations,  that  they  wished  him  to 
remain   with   them ;  and   he  found    almost   as   much 


CONVERTS  MADAM  SETON  TO  THE  CATHOLIC  FAITH.     89 

difficulty  in  parting  from   them,  as   he    had  in   pro- 
curing a  shelter  on  his  first  arrival. 

Scarcely  had  he  reached  Boston,  before  he  was 
called  to  a  neighbouring  State,  to  labor  for  the  con- 
version of  a  soul  of  a  high  order,  designed  by 
Heaven  for  great  purposes.  Madam  Seton,  an  il- 
lustrious lady,  educated  in  the  Protestant  faith,  dis- 
tinguished by  her  birth  and  fortune,  but  still  more 
by  her  energy  of  mind  and  rectitude  of  heart,  was  then 
in  Philadelphia,  seeking  the  truth  with  entire  sin- 
cerity of  soul,  but  not  finding  in  her  own  religion 
the  calmness  of  conviction,  or  peace  of  mind.  Influ- 
enced by  the  high  reputation  of  M.  Cheverus,  she 
felt  a  great  desire  to  confer  with  him  ;  but,  as  she 
could  not  take  the  journey  to  Boston,  he  was  re- 
quested to  come  himself  to  visit  her,  whose  soul  was 
seeking,  with  such  purity  of  purpose,  admission  into 
the  fold.  Had  he  followed  only  the  impulse  of  his 
zeal,  he  would  have  set  oflT  immediately ;  but  his 
delicacy  forbade  this  step.  He  thought  it  would  be  a 
want  of  respect  to  the  clergy  of  Philadelphia,  and 
seem  like  thrusting  his  sickle  into  their  harvest,  to 
go  and  volunteer  to  give  lessons  in  the  Catholic 
faith  in  that  city.  He  sent  word,  therefore,  to 
Madam  Seton,  that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to 
come  and  converse  with  her  ;  but,  if  she  wished  to 
discuss  the  subject  by  letter,  he  should  esteem  him- 
self happy  to  give  her  all  the  explanations  she  could 
wish.  Madam  Seton  decided  to  adopt  this  plan,  and 
8* 


90  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

disclosed  her  doubts  and  difficulties  in  a  number  of 
well  written  letters,  which  exhibited  the  elegance  of 
her  mind  and  the  uprightness  of  her  heart.  M.  Chev- 
erus  replied  without  delay,  and  explained  each  dif- 
ficulty with  such  clearness,  precision,  and  strength  of 
argument,  that  it  was  impossible  not  to  feel  the 
force  of  his  reasoning.  At  the  same  time,  convinced 
that  faith  is  the  gift  of  grace,  that  it  is  not  in  the 
power  of  man  to  obtain  it  for  himself,  or  communi- 
cate it  to  others,  he  prayed  earnestly  and  said  mass 
for  the  success  of  so  momentous  an  affair.  Madam 
Seton,  on  reading  these  letters,  felt  as  if  a  ray  of 
light  had  descended  from  heaven  to  dissipate  the 
darkness  of  her  mind  ;  all  her  doubts  vanished ;  and 
the  Catholic  religion  revealed  itself  to  her,  under  the 
pen  of  M.  Cheverus,  as  wholly  pure  and  altogether 
fair.  But  her  ardent  soul  was  not  satisfied,  in  chans- 
ing  her  religion,  merely  to  profess  the  Catholic  faith ; 
she  desired  also  to  aspire  to  all  which  that  faith  enjoins 
as  most  sublime  and  perfect ;  she  wished  to  devote 
herself  without  reserve  ;  she  felt  within  herself  the 
strength  to  forsake  all,  to  sacrifice  all,  and  even  to 
bind  herself,  by  the  most  solemn  vows,  to  whatever 
her  spiritual  guide  should  declare  to  be  most  pleas- 
ing to  God,  and  most  conducive  to  her  own  salva- 
tion. She  therefore  wrote  again  to  M.  Cheverus, 
opened  to  him  her  whole  sou],  laid  before  him  all 
her  plans,  and  again  asked  his  advice.  He,  with  a 
prayerful  heart,  had  awaited  the  effect  of  his  words 


HOUSE  OF  THE  SISTERS  OP  CHARITY  FOUNDED.  91 

upon  her,  and  received  this  last  letter  with  joy. 
He  answered  it  by  congratulating  her  on  her  gen- 
erous resolution,  gave  her  the  advice  she  solicited, 
and  added,  that,  since  God  had  inspired  her  with 
courage  to  aim  at  the  highest  religious  perfection,  he 
advised  her  to  become  a  Sister  of  Charity,  that  she 
might  instruct  the  ignorant,  attend  upon  the  sick, 
and  assist  the  poor.  This  exalted  religious  order  did 
not  indeed,  he  said,  then  exist  in  North  America ;  but 
that  it  was  an  act  worthy  of  her  to  establish  it  there, 
and  be  its  first  founder.  Madam  Seton  looked 
upon  this  letter  as  revealing  the  will  of  Heaven,  and 
immediately,  having  arranged  her  temporal  concerns, 
abandoned  the  world  and  the  brilliant  position  she 
occupied  in  it,  and  went  to  assume  the  humble  garb 
of  a  Sister  of  Charity,  at  Emmitsburg,  in  Maryland. 
Here,  under  the  direction  of  the  priests  belonging  to 
the  Society  of  Saint  Sulpicius,  who  had  a  college 
there,  she  established  a  hospital  for  the  sick,  a 
school  for  the  poor,  associated  with  herself  other 
pious  women,  and  thus  became  the  founder  of  the 
first  house  of  Charity  in  the  United  States.  In  her 
new  situation,  she  kept  up  by  letters  her  intercourse 
with  M.  Cheverus  ;  he  was  her  guiding  genius,  and 
she  entertained  the  highest  veneration  for  him.  One 
may  form  some  idea  of  this,  by  the  impression  made 
upon  her  at  their  first  meeting,  which  took  place 
many  years  after  her  conversion.  M.  Cheverus,  be- 
ing at  Emmitsburg,  went  to  the  new  hospital,  which 


LIFE  OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 


was   indebted  to  him    for  its   foundation,   and    asked 
for  the  Superior.     Madam  Seton  came  forward.    '*I 
am  the  Abbe  Cheverus,"  said  he.     On  hearing  these 
words,  struck   as  if  by  the  vision  of  an    angel,  she 
fell  upon  her  knees,  seized  his  hands,  bedewed  them 
with    her  tears,    and  remained  in  this  position  more 
than  five  minutes,  without  the  power  of  articulating  a 
word,  being  filled  with  such  deep  feelings  of  respect. 
While  M.  Cheverus  was  thus  engaged  in  every  good 
work  which  his  zeal  found  to  do.  Providence,  unknown 
to  him,  was  preparing  for  him  the  honors  of  the  epis- 
copal office,  in    the  following  manner.      M.  Carroll, 
Bishop  of  Baltimore,  wholly  engrossed  in   promoting 
the  progress  of  the  Catholic  religion  in  the  United 
States,  had  thought  it  might  be  expedient  to  estab- 
lish  four  new  bishoprics  there,  one   of  which  should 
be  in  Boston,  and   extend    its  jurisdiction  over  New 
England.     With  these  views,  he  had  fixed  on  M.  Mati- 
gnon  as  Bishop  of  that  city;  thinking,  that, on  account 
of  his  age,   his  learning,  and    his   reputation  as  late 
doctor  and  professor  of  the  Sorbonne,  this  venerable 
man    had   claims    upon   the  office    prior   to  those  of 
M.  Cheverus,  who  was  still  young,  and  only  his  cu- 
rate.    Just  as  he  was  about  to  send  his  petition  to 
Rome,  M.  Matignon    was    informed  of  his  intentions 
in  regard  to  himself.     Troubled  and  alarmed  at  this 
news,  the    modest    and  venerable   Abbe  hastened  to 
remonstrate  forthwith,  to  declare  a  formal  refusal,  and 
propose,  in  his  stead,  his  worthy  friend  M.  Cheverus. 


APPOINTED  BISHOP  OF   BOSTOxN.  93 

Bishop  Carroll,  who  was  perfectly  well  acquainted 
with  the  deserts  of  the  vicar  of  Boston,  was  easily 
persuaded,  and  wrote  to  Rome  to  that  effect.  The 
request  was  favorably  received ;  and,  on  the  8th  of 
April,  1808,  Pius  the  Seventh  issued  his  brief,  which 
erected  Baltimore  into  an  archbishopric,  and  estab- 
lished four  suffragan  bishoprics,  Boston,  Philadelphia, 
New  York,  and  Bardstown  in  Kentucky  ;  and  the 
same  day,  he  appointed  M.  Cheverus  to  the  first 
bishopric  ;  Father  Egan,  a  Franciscan,  to  the  second  ; 
Father  Concannen,  a  Dominican,  to  the  third  ;  and, 
finally,  M.  Flaget,  a  priest  of  the  fraternity  of  St.  Sul- 
picius,  to  the  last. 

When  the  news  of  these  proceedings  reached  Bos- 
ton, M.  Cheverus  was  as  much  grieved  as  surprised. 
His  modesty  was  pained,  when  he  found  himself  pro- 
moted to  honor;  and  his  kind  heart  still  more  so  at 
the  idea  of  being  placed  above  M.  Matignon,  who 
was  his  senior,  and  whom  he  honored  as  a  father. 
This  event  was  the  more  trying,  as  he  was  wholly 
unprepared  for  it ;  since,  the  opposition  he  would 
have  made  to  the  measure,  if  he  had  known  any 
thing  about  it  in  season,  being  well  understood,  he 
had  been  kept  entirely  ignorant  of  it.  For  several 
days  he  was  inconsolable ;  and  complained  bitterly  to 
Bishop  Carroll,  saying  that  this  was  not  what  he 
had  expected  from  his  kindness  ;  that  the  office  of 
bishop,  especially  in  America,  was  so  weighty  a  bur- 
den, that  it  ought  not  to  have  been  imposed  on  him 


94  I-IFE   OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

without  giving  him  notice  of  it,  or,  at  least,  ascer- 
taining his  views  in  regard  to  it.  But  the  step  had 
been  taken,  and  could  not  be  retraced ;  he  must  sub- 
mit to  it.  M.  Matignon,  who  rejoiced  in  the  promo- 
tion of  M.  Cheverus  as  a  father  would  do  in  that 
of  a  son,  wished  from  that  time  to  do  him  honor 
as  Bishop  elect  of  Boston,  and,  as  such,  to  give 
him  precedence,  both  in  the  house  and  the  church. 
M.  Cheverus  would  never  consent  to  any  thing  of 
the  kind ;  he  refused  all  distinction  ;  and,  during  the 
two  years  that  the  papal  bulls  were  delayed,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  troubles  which  then  agitated  Italy, 
and  the  death  of  Father  Concannen,  who  was  the 
bearer  of  them,  he  remained  still  second,  still  the 
simple  vicar  of  M.  Matignon,  whom  he  honored,  on 
all  occasions,  as  his  master  and  his  guide. 

The  bulls  having  at  length  arrived,  he  went  to 
the  Seminary  in  Baltimore,  to  prepare  himself  for  his 
consecration  by  private  exercises  of  devotion.  These 
he  performed  under  the  direction  of  M.  Nagot,  the 
Superior  of  the  establishment,  an  old  man  venerable 
for  his  angelic  virtue,  his  amiable  simplicity,  and  his 
deep  humility.  On  All  Saints  Day,  1810,  he  was 
consecrated  in  the  cathedral  church  of  Baltimore, 
by  Bishop  Carroll,  assisted  by  M.  Neale,  Bishop  of 
Gortyna,  his  colleague,  and  by  M.  Egan,  Bishop  of 
Philadelphia.  On  the  4th  of  the  following  No- 
vember, the  Feast  of  St.  Charles,  he  preached  in 
the  same  cathedral,  at  the  consecration  of  M.  Flaget, 


REGULATIONS  OF  THE  BISHOPS.  95 

appointed  first  Bishop  of  Bardstown.  His  discourse 
was  a  very  remarkable  one,  and  was  solicited  in  all 
quarters  for  the  press,  but  his  modesty  could  not 
be  prevailed  upon  to  give  it.  In  this  discourse,  he 
saluted  Bishop  Carroll  as  the  Elias  of  the  new  dis- 
pensation, the  father  of  the  clergy,  the  guide  of  the 
chariot  of  Israel  in  the  new  world;  ^^ Pater  mi. 
Pater  mi,  currus  Israel  et  auriga  ejus;''*  he  be- 
stowed great  praise  on  the  fraternity  of  Saint  Sul- 
picius,  to  which  M.  Flaget  belonged,  quoting,  in  ref- 
erence to  it,  the  eulogiums  bestowed  upon  it  at 
various  periods  by  the  clergy  of  France  in  their  as- 
semblies, and  the  words  of  Fenelon,  who  said  on  his 
death-bed,  in  that  houTj  when  there  is  no  flattery,  "  I 
know  nothing  more  venerable  and  more  apostolical 
than  Saint  Sulpicius." 

After  these  interesting  ceremonies,  the  five  bishops, 
taking  advantage  of  the  circumstance  of  their  being 
together,  agreed  upon  certain  regulations  relative  to 
the  administration  of  their  churches.  The  following 
have  appeared  to  us  the  most  worthy  of  notice. 
1st.  Poor,  as  they  are,  in  members  of  the  ecclesiastical 
profession,  the  bishops  declare,  that  they  will  with 
pleasure  allow  the  subjects  of  their  diocese  to  form 
regular  or  secular  fraternities,  when  they  shall  feel 
themselves  called  so  to  do.  2ndly.  They  prohibit  the 
insertion,  in  the  prayer-books,  of  any  other  transla- 
tion of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  than  that  which  is  called 

*  [2  Kings,  ii.  12.] 


96  LIFE    OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

the  Douai  Bible.  3dly.  They  will  permit  the  pray- 
ers, which  precede  and  follow  the  particular  form 
used  in  the  administration  of  the  sacrament,  to  be 
said  in  the  vulgar  tongue,  except  the  mass,  which 
must  always  be  performed  entirely  in  Latin  ;  but 
they  prohibit  the  use  of  any  other  version  for  this  pur- 
pose, except  that  which  shall  be  approved  of  by  all  the 
bishops  of  the  district.  4thly.  They  will  not  permit 
of  the  taking  of  the  vow  of  perpetual  chastity,  out  of 
the  pale  of  approved  religious  societies.  5thly.  They 
earnestly  pray  all  shepherds  of  souls  to  combat  without 
ceasing,  in  public  and  private  conferences,  the  incli- 
nation for  amusements  dangerous  to  morals,  such  as 
dancing,  the  theatre,  &£c. ;  and  they  strictly  forbid  the 
reading  of  books  calculated  to  corrupt  the  faith  or 
manners,  particularly  romances.  6thly.  They  forbid 
all  priests  to  admit  to  the  sacrament  those  whom 
they  know  to  belong  to  the  society  of  Free-masons ; 
at  least  until  they  have  obtained  a  promise  from  them, 
that  they  will  not  again  attend  the  meetings  of  the 
lodges,  and  will  publicly  profess  that  they  have  dis- 
solved all  connexion  with  that  society. 

These  regulations  having  been  agreed  upon. 
Bishop  Cheverus  set  off  immediately  for  Boston,  as 
humble  as  he  was  before,  or,  rather,  much  more 
humble ;  for,  according  to  his  own  expression,  he  felt 
ashamed  of  and  embarrassed  by  a  dignity  for  which 
he  felt  himself  so  httle  qualified.  Again  in  Boston, 
there  was   no   change   in  his  relations  with  M.  Ma- 


UNOSTENTATIOUS   LIFE  OF   THE  NEW  BISHOP.  97 

tignon,  unless  it  were,  that,  forced  to  take  the  first 
place,  he  endeavoured  to  make  up  for  it  by  re- 
doubling his  cares  and  attentions  to  his  worthy- 
friend.  In  his  ordinary  conduct,  too,  he  was  still 
the  same ;  it  was  as  modest,  as  simple,  as  be- 
fore. He  had  but  one  small  room,  and,  in  showing 
it  to  strangers  who  came  to  visit  him,  he  used  to 
say,  with  a  pleasant  smile  :  "  You  see  here  the  Epis- 
copal palace  ;  it  is  open  to  everybody."  Of  furni- 
ture, he  had  no  more  than  was  strictly  necessary, 
and  even  that  the  least  luxurious  and  most  simple 
possible.  His  chairs  were  of  the  most  common  ma- 
terial and  form,  and  often  there  were  not  enough 
of  these  to  accommodate  his  visiters ;  and  then  his 
bed,  which  consisted  only  of  some  boards,  raised  a 
little  above  the  floor  and  covered  with  a  thin  mattress, 
was  used  to  supply  the  deficiency.  Some  one  once 
proposed  to  give  him  some  rich  and  elegant  chairs. 
"  No,"  said  he,  "  they  would  form  a  contrast  with 
the  rest  of  the  furniture ;  it  is  better  it  should  all  be 
in  keeping."  Yet,  although  every  thing  was  poor 
in  his  abode,  every  thing  was  neat ;  though  all  was 
simple,  yet  all  was  decent.  His  table,  always  frugal, 
was  more  or  less  poorly  supplied  according  to  his 
resources,  which  consisted  wholly  of  voluntary  con- 
tributions from  his  flock.  Nevertheless,  he  always 
admitted  to  it  whoever  happened  to  come  ;  and  the 
pleasure  of  enjoying  his  society,  or  sometimes  even 
9 


98  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

the  wish  to  make  sure  that  he  had  what  was  ne- 
cessary, brought  guests  to  it  every  day.  Every 
Sunday  and  holyday,  he  invited  to  his  table  the 
Cathohcs  who  Hved  at  too  great  a  distance  from 
the  church  to  return  home  to  dine ;  and,  however 
numerous  they  might  be,  he  gave  them  all  a  dinner, 
with  an  air  of  cordiality  which  delighted  them.  He 
was  the  kind  father  of  a  family,  his  face  radiant  with 
joy,  in  the  midst  of  his  assembled  children.  In  ol- 
der to  meet  all  this  expense,  the  Bishop  of  Boston 
denied  himself,  I  will  not  say  elegances  and  luxu- 
ries, for  he  never  had  an  idea  of  procuring  these, 
but  even  what  would  seem  to  be  the  common  ne- 
cessaries of  life.  He  was  economical  in  every  thing, 
except  in  alms-giving,  and  incurred  no  expense  that 
he  could  possibly  avoid.  He  split  his  firewood  him- 
self; his  apparel  was  always  very  simple,  but  yet  in 
accordance  with  his  office.  This  last  point  the  Cath- 
olics insisted  upon,  representing  to  him  that  their 
honor  required  that  he  should  not  give  occasion  to  the 
other  sects  to  tliink  they  suffered  their  Bishop  to 
want  the  necessaries  of  life  ;  that,  therefore,  he  ought 
not  to  consult  that  love  of  simplicity  and  poverty 
which  was  in  his  heart ;  but,  that,  from  regard  to  them 
and  for  the  honor  of  the  Catholic  religion,  his  dress 
and  appearance  should  always  be  suitable  to  his  po- 
sition in  society. 

The    life  of  Bishop  Cheverus    was   the  hfe    of  a 
missionary,  as  well  abroad  as  at  home.     Although  he 


HIS    APOSTOLICAL   LIFE.  99 

was  Bishop,  he  continued,  as  before,  to  perform  the 
humblest  duties ;  he  confessed,  catechized,  visited  the 
poor  and  the  sick  ;  went  alone,  on  foot,  at  all  hours 
of  the  day  and  night,  and  at  all  seasons,  many  miles, 
to  carry  the  offerings  of  his  charity,  or  the  consola- 
tions of  his  ministry.  Every  year,  he  passed  three 
months  among  his  beloved  Penobscot  and  Passama- 
quoddy  tribes,  agreeably  to  the  promise  he  made 
them  on  his  first  visit,  which  we  have  already  de- 
scribed. Before  he  was  made  Bishop,  he  had  not 
failed  to  keep  his  word  every  year ;  and  afterwards 
he  felt  himself  only  the  more  obliged  to  perform  this 
arduous  apostolical  duty.  In  Boston,  he  was  never 
seen  in  gay  circles,  or  parties  of  pleasure ;  he  was 
wholly  and  constantly  devoted  to  his  duties  ;  dividing 
his  time  between  prayer,  study,  his  ministry,  and 
works  of  charity,  which  were  sometimes  of  a  very 
painful  nature.  He  considered  himself  as  the  father 
of  all  his  flock  ;  and  his  tenderness  spared  no  effort, 
when  he  could  be  useful  to  them.  A  poor  sailor,  at 
one  time,  before  departing  on  a  long  voyage,  recom- 
mended his  wife,  whom  he  left  alone  and  unaided, 
to  his  care.  Bishop  Cheverus  took  the  same  care 
of  her  that  he  would  have  done  of  a  sister;  and, 
this  poor  woman  being  taken  sick,  he  became  her 
nurse,  and  rendered  her  even  the  meanest  services. 
After  several  months'  absence,  the  sailor  returned  ;  and 
found,  on  entering  his  dwelling,  the  Bishop  of  Boston 
ascending  the  stairs  to  the  chamber  of  the  poor  sick 


100  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CIIEVERUS. 

woman,  with  his  arms  full  of  wood,  to  make  her  a 
fire  and  prepare  the  comforts  her  situation  required. 
Struck  with  admiration  at  the  sight  of  so  much  be- 
nevolence, the  sailor  fell  at  the  feet  of  the  Bishop, 
bedewed  them  with  his  tears,  and  was  unable  to 
express  his  gratitude.  Bishop  Cheverus  raised  him 
up,  embraced  him,  calmed  his  emotion,  and  spoke 
encouragingly  to  him  about  the  sickness  of  his  wife. 

Antiquity  offers  us  nothing  more  touching,  of  the 
kind,  than  the  love  of  the  Catholics  in  Boston  for  their 
Bishop.  As  the  believers  at  Antioch  gave  their  chil- 
dren the  name  of  St.  Meletius,  their  bishop,  so  most 
Catholic  parents  desired  that  their  children  might  re- 
ceive at  their  baptism  the  name  of  John^  because 
that  was  the  name  of  Bishop  Cheverus.  One  day, 
a  very  amusing  circumstance,  connected  with  this  feel- 
ing, occurred.  The  Bishop  having,  as  usual,  asked 
the  godfather  and  godmother,  "  What  name  will  you 
give  this  child  ?  "  they  replied  :  "  John  Bishop  Chev- 
erus." "  Poor  child,"  rejoined  he,  "  God  forbid  that 
you  should  ever  become  a  Bishop ! " 

It  was  not  alone  among  the  Catholics,  that  the  apos- 
tolical life  of  Bishop  Cheverus  conciliated  general 
esteem  and  affection  ;  even  among  the  ministers  of 
different  sects,  these  sentiments  were  so  profound  that 
they  sometimes  invited  him  to  preach  in  their  churches. 
The  Bishop  of  Boston,  calling  to  mind  that  St.  Paul 
preached  in  the  synagogues,  as  well  as  in  Christian 


PREACHES   IN    THE   PROTESTANT   CHURCHES.  101 

assemblies,  thankfully  accepted  these  invitations,  and 
always  chose  for  the  subject  of  his  discourse  some 
doctrine  of  the  Catholic  church.  But  he  treated  it  with 
so  much  judgment,  moderation,  and  propriety,  that,  far 
from  his  offending  any  one,  his  audience  were  always 
satisfied ;  some  were  convinced,  others  were  shaken 
in  their  belief,  and  all  had,  at  least,  some  of  their 
prejudices  removed.  This  information  is  derived, 
partly  at  least,  from  a  Protestant  journal,  which,  in 
giving  some  account  of  a  sermon  preached  by  Bishop 
Cheverus  in  a  Presbyterian  church,  says:  "It  is 
certain  that  his  discourses  are  well  calculated  to  re- 
move prejudices  against  the  Catholics ;  and  the  mod- 
eration, and  even  affection,  with  which  he  speaks  of 
men  of  a  different  belief  from  his  own,  forms  a  strik- 
ing contrast  to  the  violent  and  angry  language  that 
sometimes  dishonors  Protestant  pulpits."  Such  was, 
in  fact,  the  method  adopted  by  Bishop  Cheverus. 
Although  addressing  men  of  a  different  faith,  none  but 
words  of  affection  and  kindness  fell  from  his  lips,  as 
no  feelings  but  those  of  charity  and  benevolence  found 
place  in  his  heart.  In  his  air,  his  voice,  in  every 
accent,  his  audience  felt  that  it  was  a  friend  who 
spoke  to  them  ;  and  a  friend  not  only  sincere,  but 
tender  and  devoted,  and  who  wished  their  best  good  ; 
and  this  disposition  on  his  part  rendered  what  he  said 
interesting,  and  opened  him  an  avenue  to  every  heart. 
In  the  course  of  discussion,  he  endeavoured  to  say 
nothing  that  could  wound ;  to  let  no  reproach  or 
9* 


102  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

invective  against  his  adversaries  escape  him  ;  nor  did 
he  assume  an  air  of  triumph  over  the  weakness  of 
their  arguments,  or  the  futihty  of  their  systems.  On 
the  contrary,  he  praised  whatever  he  discovered  good 
or  estimable  in  them  ;  commending,  in  some,  the  strict 
probity,  the  severe  morahty  they  professed  ;  in  others, 
their  handsome  church,  and  faithful  observance  of  the 
Lord's  day.  He  took  care,  even,  to  avoid  in  his  dis- 
courses the  appearance  of  controversy,  or  refutation 
of  error;  because,  he  said,  in  all  contests  self-love 
becomes  a  party,  and  its  principle  is  never  to  ac- 
knowledge itself  convinced.  For  this  reason,  he  al- 
ways anticipated  objections,  by  putting  his  refutation 
of  them  in  the  form  of  a  proof  or  exposition  of  his 
subject,  without  even  stating  them  expressly.  The 
following  was  his  usual  mode  of  proceeding :  —  He 
began  by  making  a  clear  statement  of  the  question; 
setting  forth  with  precision  the  true  doctrine  of  the 
church,  and  rejecting  all  the  false  representations  by 
which  heretics  have  disguised  it  for  the  purpose  of 
bringing  it  into  discredit.  He  then  brought  forward 
his  proofs,  in  the  most  simple  and  natural  man- 
ner, with  reasons  so  intelligible  to  the  most  ordinary 
understandings,  that  no  effort  of  mind  was  neces- 
sary in  order  to  feel  tlieir  force.  He  dwelt  particu- 
larly on  those  proofs  which  address  themselves  to 
the  heart,  exhibiting  all  that  is  engaging  and  touching, 
noble  and  worthy  of  the  Deity,  in  the  Catholic  belief; 
and,  more  than  once,  he  witnessed  the  happy  effects 
of  this  method. 


HIS   STYLE   OF  PREACHING   ON  THESE   OCCASIONS.     103 

His  manner  of  preaching  may  be  better  understood 
by  a   few  examples,  which  we   have   received   from 
his  own   mouth.     He    proposed,  one  day,  to  preach 
upon    the    adoration  of  the   cross.     He  began   by  a 
distinct  declaration,  that,  in  this  act  of  worship,  Jesus 
Christ,  the  God-man,  is  alone  adored ;  and  that  the 
cross  is  honored,  only  as  the  image  which  represents 
him  to  us.     Then,  entering   upon  his  subject,  *'Let 
us  suppose,"  said    he,  "  that    you   are    about  to  fall 
by  the  sword  of  an  enemy,  ^nd  that  a  generous  man, 
seeing  this,  throws  himself  between  you  and  the  as- 
sassin, and  saves  your  life  by  the  sacrifice  of  his  own. 
A   painter,  struck   by  this   act  of  heroism,  makes  a 
portrait  of  the   generous   man,  and   presents   him  to 
your  view,  bathed    in   his   blood,  and   covered   with 
wounds.      What   do   you  do  ?      You   seize    upon   it 
with  love  and  gratitude,  press  it  to  your  lips,  bedew 
it  with  your  tears,  and  think   your   lieart   can  never 
feel  enough.     My  brethren,  this  is  the  whole  Cath- 
olic doctrine  of  the  adoration  of  the  cross.     It  is  not 
for  the  mind  to  reason   about,  but  for   the   heait  to 
experience,  all  those  feelings  with  which  it  must  be 
inspired    by  the    image    of   God,  who  died    that  we 
might   live."     At   these    words,  the  whole   audience 
was   moved ;   the    preacher   took    the    crucifix,    and 
the    Protestants,    forgetting   their    sharp   controversy, 
kissed  the  cross  of  the  Saviour,  with  tears  and  affec- 
tion. 

At  another  time,  Bishop    Cheverus,  having   occa- 


104  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

sion  to  preach  in  a  Protestant  church,  took  for  his 
text  these  words  of  our  Saviour,  "  This  is  my  body, 
this  is  my  blood  ;'^*  from  which  he  demonstrated 
these  three  positions.  1st.  That  the  real  presence 
of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Eucharist  is  a  doctrine  most 
clearly  revealed  in  Scripture  ;  since  human  language 
could  not  convey  this  idea  by  expressions  more  un- 
equivocal. 2d.  That  it  is  most  worthy  of  God ; 
since  it  is  the  most  affecting  mystery  of  love,  and 
nothing  can  be  more  worthy  of  God  than  a  love 
for  man  exceeding  our  comprehension.  And,  lastly, 
that  it  is  most  moral ;  since  nothing  is  better  adapted 
to  make  man  comprehend  the  eminent  sanctity  he 
should  preserve  both  of  soul  and  body,  which,  by 
this  mystery,  became  the  living  temple  of  the  Di- 
vinity. This  truth,  thus  presented,  made  a  powerful 
impression  upon  the  Protestants ;  and  the  Bishop 
heard  some  of  them  say,  on  leaving  the  church, 
*'  We  did  not  think  the  Catholics  had  such  strong 
reasons  in  favor  of  their  belief."  Even  a  clergyman 
came  to  him,  who  had  been  struck  by  his  arguments, 
and  had  but  one  objection  to  make  to  them.  "  If 
what  you  have  just  been  asserting  be  true,"  said  he, 
"  you  must  be  purer  yourself  than  an  angel ;  you 
who  daily  receive  into  yourself  a  God!"  "At 
these  words,"  said  the  Bishop,  in  relating  the  cir- 
cumstance, '•  I  blushed,  looked  down,  and  was  silent." 
Nevertheless,  in  his  various  discourses.  Bishop 
*  Matt.  xxvL  26,  28. 


HIS  STYLE  OP  PREACHING  BEPOKE  PROTESTANTS.      105 

Cheverus  remarked  that  the  discussion  of  the  peculiar 
dogmas  of  our  belief  produced  but  little  substantial 
fruit;  since  the  light  thrown  on  one  point  left  the 
mind  free  scope  to  find  out  new  difficulties  on  an- 
other ;  the  battle-ground  was  changed,  but  the  enemy 
was  always  in  the  field,  and  armed.  For  this  reason, 
he  very  often  endeavoured  to  prove  and  inculcate,  in 
every  possible  manner,  the  necessity  of  some  standard 
authority  to  determine  the  faith  of  the  learned,  as 
well  as  of  the  ignorant.  This  he  considered  the 
capital  point  on  which  the  whole  controversy  turned. 
To  convince  the  Protestants  of  this  truth,  he  often 
repeated  to  them,  in  the  discourses  which  he  pro- 
nounced from  their  pulpits,  these  simple  words,  which 
always  produced  a  good  effect :  "  Every  day,  my 
brethren,  I  read,  as  you  do,  the  Holy  Scriptures; 
I  read  them  with  reflection  and  prayer,  invoking  the 
aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  and  yet  I  meet,  in  almost 
every  page,  things  I  do  not  understand;  I  need  the 
authority  of  the  church  to  point  out  the  right  mean- 
ing, and  to  settle  my  belief  with  regard  to  the  pas- 
sage in  question."  The  audience  immediately  drew 
this  inference :  "  If  Bishop  Cheverus,  who  is  much 
more  learned  than  we  are,  does  not  understand  all 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  how  can  our  ministers  tell  us 
that  they  are  a  perfectly  clear  rule  of  faith  for  each 
of  us,  and  intelligible  without  any  foreign  aid  ? " 
He    then,    after   having    convinced    them    that   the 


106  l^IFB    OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

majority  of  men  cannot  of  themselves  decide  upon 
particular  points  of  doctrine,  exhibited  to  them  Divine 
Wisdom  coming  to  the  aid  of  feeble  humanity,  by  in- 
stituting a  standard  authority,  which,  deriving  its  origin 
from  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Apostles,  has  come  down  to 
us,  through  an  uninterrupted  series  of  pastors,  profess- 
ing always,  and  in  all  places,  the  same  unchanging 
doctrine. 

These  instructions  had  so  much  effect  that  a  per- 
son* one  day  said  to  him,  *^  I  agree  with  you,  that, 
Christianity  being  once  admitted,  Catholicism  is  a 
necessary  consequence  ;  if  I  believed  in  Jesus  Christ, 
I  should  be  forced,  by  sound  logical  reasoning,  to 
believe  in  the  Romish  Church."  The  ministers  of 
the  different  denominations  found  it  equally  difficult 
to  shut  their  eyes  against  this  truth  ;  in  disputing 
among  themselves,  they  mutually  proved  each  other 
clearly  in  the  wrong,  and  almost  always  ended  by 
saying  to  one  another,  "  By  what  right  would  you 
subject  my  reason  to  yours  ?  If  I  wished  to  submit 
my  reason  to  any  authority,  I  would  embrace  the 
religion  of  Bishop  Cheverus  ;  that,  at  least,  may 
claim  for  itself  the  most  imposing  authority  on  earth." 

Besides  these  discourses  addressed  to  the  people, 
M.  Cheverus  several  times  held  public  conferences 
with  the  Protestant  ministers,  and  always]  came  off 
victorious.     He    pressed    his   opponents    closely,    but 

*  [Ministrc  in  the  original.     See  Appendix,  p.  386.  —  Tr»] 


HIS  CONFERENCES  WITH  PROTESTANT  MINISTERS.      ]  07 

always  with  calmness  and  moderation,  and  replied 
to  their  ravings  by  the  force  of  reasoning  ;  to  their 
reproaches,  by  words  as  mild  as  they  were  convinc- 
ing ;  to  arguments  that  set  good  sense  at  defiance, 
sometimes  by  a  keen  retort,  and  sometimes  by  a 
monitory  jest.  On  one  occasion,  a  Methodist  minis- 
ter, in  arguing  against  him,  undertook  to  prove  his  own 
position  by  bringing  together  texts  of  Scripture,  which 
bad  no  connexion  with  each  other,  and  to  draw  from 
this  combination  of  incoherent  passages  a  conclusion, 
which  he  delivered  in  a  triumphant  tone.  "  What 
have  you  to  answer  to  that  ? "  cried  he.  Bishop 
Cheverus,  perfectly  unmoved,  replied  calmly,  "  Have 
you  not  read  in  the  Scriptures,  that  Judas  hanged 
himself  1  Well,"  added  he,  smiling,  '*  it  is  also  said 
in  the  Scriptures,  Go  and  do  likewise.^^  This  sally 
threw  the  assembly  into  a  fit  of  laughter,  and  made 
them  comprehend,  better  than  any  reasoning  could 
have  done,  the  absurdity  of  the  minister's  argument, 
and  the  strange  abuse  he  made  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. Thus  Bishop  Cheverus,  by  his  sagacity  and 
great  learning,  silenced  the  clergymen  of  the  various 
sects  ;  and  it  was  the  common  opinion  among  Prot- 
estants, that  Bishop  Cheverus  had  more  learning 
than  their  own  ministers;  only,  they  added,  by  way 
of  justifying  them,  that  his  was  human  and  profane 
learning,  while  theirs  was  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

The  Bishop  of  Boston  derived  the  most  consoling 
fruits  from  all  these  discourses  and  conferences.    Many 


108  LIFE  OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

Protestants  were  not  content  with  merely  seeing  the 
hght  of  truth,  presented  thus  clearly  to  their  eyes; 
they  had  the  magnanimity  to  follow  and  embrace  the 
Catholic  religion.  Among  these  conversions,  there 
were  four  particularly  remarkable.  The  first  was  that 
of  Mr.  Thomas  Walley,  a  citizen  of  Boston,  distin- 
guished as  much  for  the  elegance  of  his  mind  as  for 
his  literary  acquisitions.  He  became  the  glory  of 
the  Catholic  religion  in  that  city,  and  exhibited  to 
the  world,  not  only  in  his  own  person,  but  also  in 
his  pious  wife  and  numerous  family  of  children,  a 
touching  model  of  all  the  Christian  virtues  ;  of  piety 
towards  God,  of  goodness  ever  amiable,  and  of  com- 
passionate charity  towards  others.  The  second  con- 
version was  that  of  Mr.  Samuel  Bishop,  a  counsellor 
at  law,  at  Newcastle,  in  the  State  of  Maine.  His 
abjuration  was  made  with  the  greatest  solemnity. 
It  was  on  Sunday,  in  the  month  of  August,  and  a 
large  assembly  of  people  were  collected  in  St.  Pat- 
rick's church,  at  Newcastle.  In  the  presence  of  this 
multitude,  Mr.  Bishop,  regardless  of  the  opinion 
of  men,  pronounced  aloud  his  abjuration  of  heresy, 
and  his  profession  of  the  Catholic  faith.  He  was 
then  baptized ;  either  because  he  had  not  before 
received  baptism  at  all,  as  is  the  case  with  most  of 
the  inhabitants  of  this  country,  since  the  clergy  no 
longer  believe  in  the  necessity  of  this  sacrament ;  *  or 
because  it  had  been  administered  in  an  unsatisfactory 

*  [The  American  reader  will  make  the  necessary  allow- 
ance for  statements  of  this  sort  —  Ti\] 


REMARKABLE  CONVERSIONS.  109 

manner.  He  then  received  the  sacraments  of  Con- 
firmation and  the  Holy  Eucharist,  with  a  glowing 
faith  and  piety  which  were  edifying  to  all  present. 
But  the  conversions  which  awakened  most  joy  in 
the  heart  of  Bishop  Cheverus  were  those  of  two 
Protestant  ministers,  a  father  and  son.  The  father 
was  in  the  actual  exercise  of  the  ministerial  office  ; 
the  son  had  not  been  settled  in  the  ministry,  being 
the  principal  of  a  literary  institution.  They  not 
only  came  over  to  the  Catholic  faith,  but  made  a 
solemn  profession  of  all  its  highest  requirements. 
The  father,  having  received  the  lesser  orders  and  per- 
mission to  preach,  did  not  wish  further  preferment 
in  the  ecclesiastical  profession,  of  which  he  thought 
himself  unworthy.  The  son,  more  ardent,  desired 
to  abandon  all,  and  to  follow  Jesus  Christ  in  the 
ways  of  religious  perfection  ;  but  he  was  tied  to  the 
world  by  the  bonds  of  matrimony.  He  put  up  vows 
to  Heaven,  and  prayed  earnestly.  God  heard  his 
prayers,  and  touched  the  heart  of  his  wife,  who,  on 
her  part,  entertained  similar  views.  They  opened 
their  hearts  to  each  other;  and,  the  wife  having  en- 
tered a  convent  of  The  Visitation,  the  zealous  con- 
vert, being  then  free  from  his  engagements,  blessed 
God  who  had  broken  his  chains,  and  joined  the  Society 
of  Jesus,  in  which  he  became  an  exemplary  and  zeal- 
ous priest.  The  Bishop  of  Boston  felt  a  curiosity  to 
learn  from  such  credible  witnesses,  whether,  during 
the  many  years  that  they  had  lived  in  the  Protest- 
10 


110  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

ant  belief,  they  had  not  entertained  some  doubts  in 
respect  to  its  truth,  and  if  they  should  have  died  easy 
in  that  religion.  He  received  the  following  remark- 
able reply :  that,  until  the  day  when  they  had  been 
instructed  and  enlightened  by  him,  their  sincerity  had 
always  been  so  perfect  that  they  had  never  thought 
of  doubting ;  and  that  it  was  through  his  instrumen- 
tality alone,  that  the  truth  had  been  revealed  to 
them  for  the  first  time.  This  example,  with  many 
others,  cheered  the  heart  of  Bishop  Cheverus,  by 
giving  him  reason  to  believe  that  many  Protestants 
might  have  the  same  sincerity,  or  invincible  igno- 
rance, which  would  extenuate  their  errors  in  the 
sight  of  God.*  He  also  concluded  from  it,  that  we 
ought  to  be  very  indulgent  towards  those  who  are 
deceived,  and  extremely  slow  to  condemn  them. 
"  God  only,"  said  he,  "sees  the  depths  of  the  heart ; 

*  Such  honest  conviction  may  easily  be  conceived  of  in  a 
country  imbued  with  so  many  prejudices  against  the  Cath- 
olic church.  In  any  other  country,  where  such  prejudices 
do  not  exist,  and  the  intercourse  with  well-informed  Catho- 
lics is  frequent,  it  would  be  more  difficult  to  conceive  of  it, 
though  perhaps  possible  in  certain  circumstances.  Further, 
the  sentiments  of  Bishop  Cheverus,  with  regard  to  the  ef- 
ficacy of  such  sincerity  in  the  eyes  of  God,  are  conformable 
to  the  general  opinion  of  Catholic  theologians.  St.  Augustine 
inculcates  it  (Lib.  IV.,  De  Baptismo,  contra  Donat,  cap.  xvi.). 
The  Faculty  of  Theology  at  Paris  says,  to  the  same  pur- 
pose, [Censure  of  Emile,  proposition  52,)  "Many,  the  number 
of  whom  God  only  knows,  although  brought  up  in  commu- 


H13  BENEVOLENCE  TO  THE  REFUGEE  COLONISTS.      1 1 1 

he  alone  can  judge  of  its  sincerity ;  and  we  ought 
to  leave  the  secret  with  him." 

Amid  all  the  anxieties  of  the  Bishop  of  Boston 
for  the  increase  and  sanctification  of  his  flock,  he 
saw  it  enlarged  beyond  his  expectation,  by  the  ar- 
rival of  numbers  of  unfortunate  Frenchmen,  whom  the 
disasters  of  the  colonies  had  driven  forth  to  wander 
from  country  to  country,  seeking  an  asylum,  safety, 
and  the  means  of  Hving.  Many  of  them  had  already 
taken  refuge  in  Boston,  before  his  arrival  there ;  and 
since  then,  they  had  continued  to  come  in  consid- 
erable numbers ;  attracted,  perhaps,  by  his  reputation 
for  charity.  Looking  upon  them  as  men  in  distress, 
Christians,  and  unfortunate  Frenchmen,  Bishop  Chev- 
erus,  received  them  with  all  the  kindness  that  these 
claims  upon  his  charity  would  naturally  inspire.  He 
assisted  them,  first,  with  all   that  he  had,  for  he  al- 

nions  divided  from  the  Catholic  church,  are  pardoned,  on  the 
plea  of  insurmountable  ignorance,  for  schism  or  heresy.  We 
do  not  regard  them  as  aliens  from  the  church,  out  of  which 

there  is  no  salvation They  may  firmly  believe  many 

truths,  which  are  retained  in  their  communions,  and  which 
may  suffice  effectually  for  their  salvation."  Finally,  the  cel- 
ebrated Nicole,  whose  adherence  to  rigid  doctrine  is  well 
known,  himself  says,  ( On  the  Unity  of  the  Church,  Liv.  I.  c.  iii.,) 
"  According  to  all  Catholic  theologians,  there  are  a  great 
number  of  living  members  and  true  children  of  the  church 
in  other  communions ;  since  there  are  so  many  children  con- 
stituting always  a  considerable  part  of  them,  and  there  may 
also  be  some  such  believers  among  adults." 


112  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

ways  began  by  stripping  himself;  then  with  all  the 
alms  he  could  collect,  for  he,  who  never  asked  any 
thing  for  his  own  wants,  did  not  fear  to  ask  for  the 
necessities  of  others.  In  distributing  his  bounties,  he 
doubled  the  benefit  by  his  delicate  manner  of  be- 
stowing it.  As  these  refugees  were,  in  general,  men 
of  honorable  condition,  who  would  have  felt  it  a 
humiliation  to  ask  assistance,  and  to  whom  it  was 
painful  even  to  receive  it.  Bishop  Cheverus  aided 
them  with  so  much  delicacy  and  judgment,  that  self- 
love,  so  far  from  being  wounded,  was,  on  the  contrary, 
enabled  to  rejoice,  in  the  regard  and  marks  of  respect 
which  he  lavished  upon  them,  in  order  to  soften,  as 
much  as  he  could,  their  sad  condition,  and  make 
them  forget,  if  possible,  that  they  were  unfortunate. 
He  visited  them  often,  to  testify  his  esteem  and  in- 
terest ;  but,  more  than  all,  to  assure  himself  that 
they  wanted  nothing.  These  visits  paid  to  the  un- 
fortunate, were  not  without  consolation  to  himself. 
Beside  the  pleasure  a  kind  heart  experiences  in  sol- 
acing misfortune,  he  had  the -happiness  sometimes  of 
meeting  with  lofty  virtues.  Entering,  one  day,  a  house, 
which  till  then  had  escaped  his  benevolent  vigilance, 
he  found  its  inmates  in  extreme  want  of  every  thing. 
Afflicted  at  the  sight,  he  reproached  himself  for  their 
sufferings,  and  asked  pardon.  "  You  must  have 
passed  many  sad  days  here,"  said  he.  "  No,  Sir," 
replied  the  father,  a  venerable  old  man  whose  faith 
and   piety  were  worthy  of  patriarchal   times,  "  it    is 


CHARACTER  OF  THESE  REFUGEES.         113 

true  we  have  been  in  extreme  poverty ;  but  we  have 
not  been  sad  nor  unhappy.  We  have  put  our  con- 
fidence in  God,  who  never  abandons  those  who  hope 
in  him ;  and  we  knew  that  his  providence  would  come 
to  our  aid."  Words  so  full  of  faith,  spoken  with  the 
calmness  and  serenity  of  virtue,  so  affected  the  heart 
of  Bishop  Cheverus,  that  he  never  could  relate  the  cir- 
cumstance afterwards  without  emotion ;  and  he  said 
this  was  the  most  perfect  image  of  the  just  man,  that 
he  had    ever   seen  on    earth. 

But  if  among  these  victims  of  misfortune  instances 
of  exalted  virtue  were  met  with,  he  found  also  faithless 
Christians,  forgetful  of.  their  salvation,  and  careless  in 
regard  to  their  eternal  destiny.     In  these  cases,  he  ad- 
ministered spiritual  alms  as  well  as  temporal ;  endeav- 
ouring to  recall  these  erring  hearts  to  the  practice  of 
their  religious  duties.     To  insure   success,  he  began 
by  making  virtue  appear  amiable  and  attractive  in  his 
own  person,  gained  the   heart  by  kindness,  and  was 
so  observant  of  propriety  with  respect  both  to  time 
and   manner,  as  to  make  what   he  said  to  them  ap- 
pear like  the  advice  of  a  friend,  rather  than  the  hard 
and  wearisome   lessons  of  a  master   or  censor;   and 
the  suggestions  prompted  by  his  zeal  were  so  mild, 
so   tender,  and   affectionate,   that   they   were   almost 
irresistible.     Among  these  refugees  was  a  man  of  so 
violent  a  character,  and  of  a  disposition  so  wrathful  and 
terrible,  that  every  one  was  terrified  at  his  fits  of  pas- 
sion, to  which  many  who  had  had  quarrels  with  him 
10* 


1  14  LIFE    OF    CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

had  already  fallen  victims.  He  was,  in  other  respects, 
a  man  of  elevated  sentiments  and  a  strong  mind, 
whose  passions  required  only  a  friendly  hand  to  re- 
strain and  direct  them.  Bishop  Cheverus,  whose 
penetrating  glance  could  detect  the  characters  of 
men,  very  soon  discerned  the  mixture  of  good  and 
evil  in  the  soul  of  this  fearful  man.  He  set  him- 
self to  work  to  gain  his  affection  by  all  honor- 
able means.  The  feelings  of  honor  and  dehcacy 
were  aroused  in  the  man,  and  urged  him  to  make 
some  return  ;  and  it  was  not  long  before  a  great 
intimacy  took  place  between  them  ;  they  were  friends. 
The  Bishop  of  Boston  became  the  master  of  his 
heart,  directed,  governed,  and  softened  him,  and  he 
soon  appeared  a  new  man,  mild  and  gentle,  and  a 
fervent  Christian.  In  becoming  the  friend  of  Bishop 
Cheverus,  he  seemed  to  have  found  another  soul, 
another  character,  a  new  life.  From  that  time,  also, 
he  never  called  the  Bishop  by  any  name  but  Father ; 
and  never  did  a  son  exhibit  more  tenderness  and 
devotedness  towards  the  author  of  his  existence. 

Though  the  occupations  of  Bishop  Cheverus  were 
many  and  great  in  his  own  diocese,  yet  he  could 
also  supply  the  demands  of  other  dioceses.  Although 
New  York  had  been  erected  into  a  bishopric,  yet 
it  had  no  bishop,  in  consequence  of  the  death  of 
the  person  appointed  to  that  place,  who,  however, 
had  never  been  able  to  go  there.     Bishop  Cheverus 


CONSECRATES  THE  CATHEDRAL  OF  NEW  YORK.        115 

supplied  his  place.  The  Jesuits  had  charge  of  the 
church  there,  and  whenever  they  thought  his  pres- 
ence might  be  useful  to  the  cause  of  religion,  he  re- 
paired immediately  to  New  York,  without  ever  suffer- 
ing the  distance  or  any  other  consideration  to  prevent 
him.  Among  the  various  ceremonies  he  performed 
there,  one  of  the  most  solemn  was  the  consecration  of 
the  cathedral,  a  large  and  beautiful  church  in  the 
Gothic  style,  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  length, 
and  eighty  feet  in  width.  On  Ascension  Day,  Bishop 
Cheverus  dedicated  it  to  Saint  Patrick,  in  the  presence 
of  all  the  principal  inhabitants  of  the  city,  and  an  im- 
mense multitude  of  spectators.  The  church  was  filled 
to  overflowing,  and  great  numbers  could  not  gain  ad- 
mittance. It  was  indeed  a  day  of  triumph  for  religion, 
in  this  great  Protestant  city ;  and  Bishop  Cheverus  cel- 
ebrated it,  says  a  New  York  Journal,  "  with  his  usual 
spiritual  eloquence,  and  wonderful  appropriateness,^^ 
in  the  sermon  which  he  pronounced,  after  reading  the 
Gospel  for  the  day,  upon  these  words  from  the 
Psalms :  "  Lord,  I  have  loved  the  beauty  of  thy 
house  :    Domine,  dilexi  decorem  domus  iuceJ' 

The  zeal  of  the  Bishop  of  Boston  was  not  con- 
fined to  the  different  parts  of  the  United  States  ; 
it  embraced  the  whole  world ;  he  sympathized  in  the 
afl^ictions  of  the  whole  church.  We  find  a  touching 
proof  of  this  in  a  letter  which  he  addressed,  a  few 
years  after  his  consecration,  to  the  Archbishops  and 
Bishops   of  Ireland.      These   venerable  prelates  had 


116  LIFE    OF    CARDINAL  CIIEVERUS. 

been  much  afflicted  and  disquieted  by  the  persecu- 
tions, which  Bonaparte  was  then  enkindling  against 
the  church  ;  especially  in  the  person  of  its  head,  the 
illustrious  Pius  the  Seventh,  whom  he  had  driven  from 
Rome,  and  deprived  of  his  estates.  They  had  writ- 
ten to  many  Catholic  bishops,  to  concert  with  them 
the  best  course  to  pursue,  in  times  so  critical.  Bishop 
Cheverus  having  received  such  a  letter,  in  concert, 
doubtless,  with  the  other  Bishops  of  the  United 
States,  wrote  them  a  reply,  breathing  the  most  touch- 
ing zeal  in  the  cause  of  the  church  and  its  august 
head.  '^  We  are  connected  whh  the  sovereign  Pon- 
tiff," says  he,  "  as  the  members  of  the  body  are  with 
the  head ;  and  if,  as  Saint  Paul  says,  ^  when  one  mem- 
ber suffers,  all  the  members  suffer  with  it,'  how  much 
more  must  all  the  members  feel  for  the  sufferings  of 
the  head  which  governs  them.  We  mourn  with 
you,  venerable  brethren,  and  feel  a  holy  indigna- 
tion ;  with  you,  we  express  our  detestation  of  the 
outrage  which  drives  an-  old  man  from  the  home  of 
his  fathers  ;  which  persecutes  and  afflicts  a  Bishop 
without  reproach  ;  strips  the  supreme  mother  Church 
of  her  patrimony  ;  and  overwhelms  with  insult  a  Pon- 
tiff, who  has  done  nothing  but  good.  We  declare 
also  before  God,  that  we  will  receive  with  humble 
respect  the  advice  of  our  Most  Holy  Father,  though 
detained  in  captivity  ;  and  that  his  wishes,  as  well  as 
his  orders,  shall  always  find  us  docile  and  obedient. 
Nevertheless,  we  shall  not  consider   ourselves  bound 


SYMPATHY  IN  THE  SUFFERINGS  OF  THE  CHURCH.      1 17 

by  letters  which  shall  be  given  us  as  coming  from  him, 
except  so  far  as  we  have  incontestable  evidence  that 
they  were  written  by  him  in  full  and  perfect  liberty. 
And,  should  he  die,  which  may  God  forbid,  in  the 
midst  of  these  great  perils  of  the  church,  we  will 
recognise  no  one,  whom  terror  and  violence  shall 
place  in  his  stead  in  the  chair  of  Saint  Peter.  We 
will  submit  only  to  him  whom  the  majority  of  the 
bishops  throughout  the  world,  and  the  generality  of  the 
Catholics,  shall  recognise  as  the  undoubted  successor 
of  Saint  Peter."* 

*  "  Summo  Pontifici,  velut  membra  capiti,  adhseremus  et 
subjicimur :  cilm  autem,  ut  ex  S.  Paulo  habemus,  si  patitur 
unum  membrum,  compatiuntur  omnia  membra,  quant6  magis 
capitis  ipsius  acerbos  dolores  amarissimum  sui  sensum  in 
omnibus  membris  excitari  oportet !  Vobiscum,  venerabiles 
fratres,  lugemus  et  apu(J  Dominum  indignamur.  Vobiscum 
infandum  illud  pronunciamus,  quod  senex  domo,  patria  extur- 
betur,  episcopus  insons  affligatur,  Ecclesia  magistra  patrimo- 
nio  exuatur,  et  bene  meritus  Pontifex  contumeliis  exagitetur. 

Interim  coram  Domino  profitemur  nos  sanctissimi  patris, 

etsi  in  captivitate  detenti,  monita  humiliter  audituros,  ejusque 
votis  et  mandatis  prompt^  obtemperaturos ;  nunquam  tamen 
litteris  tanquam  ab  eo  emanantibus  constrictos  nos  esse  cen- 
sebimus,  nisi  priiis  sublata  fuerit  omnis  vel  minima  suspicionis 
umbra  qu6d  plena  perfectaque  libertate  non  sit  gavisus.  Si 
autem  e  vivis  excedat  (quod  in  tantis  Ecclesiae  periculis  Deus 
avertat !)  et  per  vim  terroremque  in  Petri  cathedram  ascendere 
quispiam  attentaverit,  ita  animo  comparati  sumus,  et  populo 
soUicitudini  nostrse  commisso  persuadere  conabimur,  neminem 
pro  vero  et  indubitato  S.  Petri  successore  agnoscendum,  nisi 
quem  longe  major  pars  episcoporum  totius  orbis  et  fer^  omnis 
populus  catholicus  pro  tali  agnoverint" 


118  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

The  last  part  of  ibis  letter,  while  it  makes  known 
to  us  the  prudent  and  enlightened  devotion  of  the 
Bishop  of  Boston  to  the  Holy  See,  informs  us,  also, 
what  was  then  feared  by  the  Catholic  world  from  the 
despotism  of  Bonaparte.  Happily,  Providence,  which 
calms  the  tempest  by  a  word,  and  sets  bounds  to  the 
raging  floods,  was  also  able  to  arrest,  in  time,  the  career 
of  the  ambitious  emperor,  and  break  his  power.  It  was 
not  long  before  all  Europe  arrayed  herself  against  the 
colossal  power  that  wished  to  trample  her  in  the  dust ; 
all  the  armies  of  the  north  poured  in  upon  France. 
Bonaparte  fell ;  sovereigns  and  people  were  set  free ; 
and  the  Head  of  the  Church,  so  long  a  captive,  was 
allowed  to  return  to  the  Eternal  City,  and  thence 
continue  to  exercise  his  salutary  and  pacific  sway 
over  the  Catholic  world.  An  event  so  propitious  for 
the  peace  of  the  world  was  greeted  with  enthusiasm 
by  the  inhabitants  of  Boston  ;  and  a  day  of  public 
rejoicing  was  appointed,  in  commemoration  of  it.  But 
no  one  felt  more  joy  on  the  occasion,  or  celebrated  it 
with  more  delight,  than  Bishop  Cheverus.  His  joy 
was  in  proportion  to  the  grief  he  had  felt  on  account 
of  the  oppression  of  the  church  and  its  august  head. 
He  also  observed  a  day  of  solemn  thanksgiving  in  his 
church ;  caused  the  Te  Deum  to  be  sung,  with  all 
possible  pomp  ;  and  pronounced  a  discourse,  in  which 
he  surpassed  himself.  "  Never,"  say  the  Boston  jour- 
nals, "  was  he  so  eloquent  and  pathetic  before  ;  and 
it  is  impossible    to  express  with  what  transport  and 


HIS   JOY  ON   THE   DELIVERANCE   OF   THE   POPE.       119 

with  what  a  tone  of  triumph,  he  celebrated  the  Hberty 
of  an  enfranchised  world,  the  deliverance  of  the  church 
from  a  degrading  thraldom,  the  cessation  of  the  scourge 
of  war,  which,  for  so  many  years,  had  cut  off  whole 
generations  of  men,  the  restoration  of  peace  upon 
earth,  and  of  the  Bourbons  to  the  throne,  all  nations 
becoming  friends  once  more,  and  universal  love  unit- 
ing all."  A  Boston  journal  *  adds  :  "  These  effu- 
sions of  pulpit  eloquence  were  without  effort ;  for  his 
heart  was  full  of  sympathy  for  mankind,  and  he  suf- 
fered and  enjoyed  with  those  near  or  remote."  In 
the  evening,  the  whole  city  was  illuminated.  But  the 
illumination  of  the  cathedral,  and  especially  of  the  cross 
on  its  summit,  by  the  Bishop  of  Boston,  surpassed 
in  magnificence  all  others,  whether  of  public  buildings 
or  private  houses.  He  looked  upon  this  celebration 
as  the  triumph  of  religion  and  the  church,  and  the 
glory  of  the  Apostolic  See ;  and  he  was  desirous  of 
manifesting  all  the  joy  that  interests  so  dear  ought 
to  inspire  in  the  heart  of  a  Catholic. 

Some  time  after  this  event,  the  church  of  the  United 
States  suffered  a  severe  loss,  in  the  death  of  its  me- 
tropolitan, Mr.  Carroll,  Archbishop  of  Baltimore. 
This  loss  was  the  greater  and  the  more  sensibly  felt, 
in  consequence  of  the  successor  whom  he  left  being 
an  infirm  old  man,  wanting  the  physical  strength 
which  the  office  demanded,  and  regarding  himself  as 
already  on  the  verge  of  the  tomb.  This  person  was 
*  [Boston  Monthly  Magazine,  June,  1825.] 


120  LIFE  OF    CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

Mr.  Neale,  heretofore  Assistant  Bishop.  The  ven- 
erable old  man,  deeply  feeling  the  embarrassment 
of  his  situation,  petitioned  the  Holy  See  to  associate 
the  Bishop  of  Boston  with  him  as  his  assistant ;  rep- 
resenting this  prelate  as  the  most  able  to  assist  him, 
while  he  lived,  in  the  government  of  his  diocese,  and 
the  best  adapted,  to  succeed  him  after  his  death,  as 
the  head  of  the  Catholic  church  in  the  United  States. 
The  Sovereign  Pontiff  appeared  to  favor  this  proposal ; 
but  wished  to  ascertain,  in  the  first  place,  how  he 
was  to  supply  the  place  of  Bishop  Cheverus  in  Bos- 
ton. When  Bishop  Neale  received  this  answer,  he 
earnestly  besought  the  Bishop  of  Boston  to  come  to 
him  as  soon  as  possible,  that  they  might  confer  to- 
gether on  subjects  of  the  greatest  importance  to  the 
prosperity  of  the  American  churches.  The  Bishop 
of  Boston  having  come,  and  being  informed  of  the 
letters  from  Rome  which  consented  to  appoint  him 
Assistant  Bishop  of  Baltimore,  was  surprised  and 
afflicted.  He  protested  strongly  against  the  measure, 
and  represented  to  the  Archbishop,  that  to  tear  him 
from  Boston  was  to  sacrifice  the  infant  church  there  ; 
that  M.  Matignon  was  the  only  priest  that  knew  the  di- 
ocese, and  was  well  known  in  it ;  but  that,  bowed  down 
by  years  and  still  more  by  infirmities,  it  was  impossible 
to  think  of  burdening  him  with  the  duties  of  the  Bish- 
op's office.  Bishop  Neale  had  no  difficulty  in  under- 
standing these  reasons,  and  consented  that  Bishop 
Cheverus  should  remain  at  Boston,  where  his  presence 


REFUSES  THE  OFFICE   OF   ASSISTANT  BISHOP.         121 

was  SO  necessary  ;  but  he  proposed  to  him  another 
arrangement,  to  be  submitted  to  the  Holy  See,  which 
was  confined  to  these  two  points,  namely :  first,  that 
he  should  from  time  to  time  summon  him  to  Balti- 
more, in  order  that  he  might  find  in  his  counsels,  his 
friendship,  his  co-operation  in  the  ministry,  the  aid, 
the  consolation,  and  the  support,  which  he  needed : 
secondly,  that,  on  the  death  of  the  Archbishop  of  Bal- 
timore, he  should  without  delay  come  to  fill  his  place ; 
so  that  this  diocese,  the  most  important  in  the  United 
States,  from  being  the  metropolitan  see,  as  well  as 
from  the  number  of  its  priests  and  members,  should 
never  be  without  a  bishop.  Bishop  Cheverus  replied, 
that  he  should  in  all  things  obey  the  will  of  the  Holy 
See  ;  but  that  he  saw  in  this  new  arrangement  seri- 
ous difficulties;  and  he  did  all  he  could,  to  induce  the 
Archbishop  to  choose  an  assistant  who  should  be  al- 
ways with  him.  He  mentioned  to  him  many  Jesuit 
Fathers,  and  proposed  M.  Marechal,  a  priest  of  St. 
Sulpicius,  who  had  already  been  thought  of  for  the  See 
of  Philadelphia,  assuring  him  that  they  were  much 
better  fitted  for  the  situation  than  he.  The  Jesuits 
remonstrated  ;  and  M.  Marechal  objected.  In  the 
midst  of  these  discussions,  originating  in  and  continued 
from  modesty,  Bishop  Cheverus  hastened  to  write  to 
Rome,  in  order  to  ward  off  the  blow  which  threatened 
him.     "  The  church  of  Boston,"  he  says  in  his  letter,* 

*  "  Sponsa  facta  est  mihi  dilecta  ecclesia  Bostoniensis,  nee 

illud  unquam  in  mente  habui  ut  illara  desererem Omni- 

11 


122  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

**  has  become  to  me  a  dearly  beloved  spouse,  and  I 
have  never  thought  of  abandoning  her.  It  is  the  uni- 
versal opinion,  as  it  is  also  mine,  that  the  Catholic 
religion  would  suffer  serious  injury  from  my  removal, 
and  the  introduction  of  a  new  bishop,  unknown  to 
the  people  and  a  stranger  to  their  characters.  The 
diocese  of  Baltimore  has  priests  much  more  worthy 
than  myself,  (I  say  it  before  God,  and  in  the  sincerity  of 
my  soul,)  especially  among  the  Jesuit  Fathers,  whose 
excellent  qualities,  whose  piety,  zeal,  and  indefatigable 
labors  are  above  all  praise.  The  seminary  of  Balti- 
more likewise  affords  men  truly  apostolical ;  and  two 
among  them,  already  chosen  bishops,  are  the  joy  and 
pride  of  the  church  of  the  United  States.  I  pray, 
then,  most  earnestly,  that  some  one  more  worthy  than 
myself  may  be  selected,  as  Assistant  Bishop  of  Balti- 
more." 

After  having  written  and  despatched  this  letter,  of 
which  we  have   only   given  a  few  extracts,   Bishop 

bus  persuasum  est,  nee  ego  dissentire  possum,  Catholicam 
religionem  multum  detrimenti  capturam  esse,  si  ab  hac 
recesserit  ille  quem  cognoscunt  et  a  quo  cognoscuntur,  et 
episcopus  illis  ignotus,  meritis  hcet  major,  in  meum  locum 
succedat.  Inter  sacerdotes  dioecesis  Baltimorensis  plurimos 
meipso  valde  digniores  ex  animo  et  coram  Deo  arbitror,  prse- 
sertim  inter  patres  S.  J.,  quorum  eximiae  dotes,  pietas  in 
Deum,  zelus,  et  labores  indefessi,  nunquam  satis  commendari 

possunt Verd  apostolicos  habemus  quoque  in  seminario 

Baltimorensi  sacerdotes  S.  Sulpicii ;  ex  eorum  sodalitio  as- 
sumptis  duobus  episcopis  gaudet  jam  et  gloriatur  foederate 
Americse  ecclesia.     Ut  alius  dignior  eligatur,  enixe  precor." 


REaUESTS   PERMISSION  TO   REMAIN  IN  BOSTON.      123 

Cheverus  took  leave  of  the  Archbishop,  beseeching 
him  to  think  no  more  of  him,  and  returned  to  Boston ; 
but  he  felt  sad  and  uneasy.     Bishop  Neale,  after  much 
reflection,  decided  in  favor  of  M.  Marechal,  and  re- 
quested  that  he  might  be  made  Assistant  Bishop  of 
Baltimore.     When   the   Bishop   of   Boston   wsls   in- 
formed of  this,  he  wrote  a  second  letter  to  Rome,  to 
express  his  satisfaction,   and  ask  the   favor  of  never 
being  separated  from  his  beloved  church  at  Boston. 
"  I  have  suffered,"  he  says  in  this  letter,  "  and  ray 
heart  has  been  continually  agitated  by  fear,  lest  the 
obedience  v^^hich  I  owe  to  his   Holiness,  and  which 
must  always  be  the  rule  of  my  conduct,  should  force 
me  to  abandon  my  beloved  flock.     But  to  fear  and 
anxiety  have  succeeded  peace  and  happiness,  since  I 
learned  the  nomination  of  M.  Marechal,  as  Assistant 
Bishop  of  Baltimore.     Now  I  pray,  I  supplicate,  I 
entreat,  with  heartfelt  earnestness,  that  I  may  never 
be  transferred  to  any  other  diocese ;  that  I  may  be 
permitted  to  consecrate  all  my  cares  to  my  small,  but 
beloved  flock;  to  sacrifice  to  it  all  that  I  have,  to  sac- 
rifice myself.     I  shall  rejoice  to  see  M.  Marechal  in 
the  exercise  of  the  episcopal  office  in  that  city,  where 
he   and  his  colleagues,  the  priests   of   St.  Sulpicius, 
have  been  the  guides  and  models  of  the  clergy,  and 
have  obtained  universal  respect."  * 

^"Continuus  cordi  meo  dolor  erat,  ne  dilectum  gregem 
relinquere  me  cogeret  obedientia  quam  debeo  semperque 
prcBstare  intendo  Sanctitati  Suse  ;  sed  pax  et  Isetitia  timoris  et 


124  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

Free  from  all  anxiety,  and  living  only  for  his  be- 
loved church  at  Boston,  Bishop  Cheverus  was  pursu- 
ing in  peace  his  useful  and  important  labors,  when  he 
learned  that  two  Jesuit  Fathers  were  about  to  sail  for 
Rome,  whither  the  Archbishop  of  Baltimore  had  de- 
spatched them  on  business  relating  to  his  diocese.  He 
immediately  transmitted  to  them  a  letter  for  the  Holy 
See,  which  exhibits  the  pleasure  he  felt  in  speaking 
their  praise,  and  expressing  the  tender  friendship  that 
bound  him  to  them.  "  I  learn,"  says  he  in  this  letter, 
"  that  the  venerable  Father  Grassy  is  about  to  proceed 
to  Rome  ;  he  will  verbally  inform  you  of  the  state  of 
our  churches ;  from  his  pure  lips  you  will  learn  the  truth 
as  it  is.  I  have  the  most  profound  veneration  for  this 
beloved  Father  of  the  beloved  Society  ;  and  this  senti- 
ment I  entertain  in  common  with  the  other  bishops,  and 
all  ecclesiastics  who  love  piety.  The  companion  of  his 
voyage  is  the  worthy  Father  F.  of  the  same  society, 
whom  I  have  the  honor  of  numbering  among  my  most 
intimate  friends We  pray  for  the  speedy  return 

anxietatis  locum  occupaverunt,  ex  quo  didici  Rev.  et  cert^ 
digniorem  Marechal  coadjutorem  Baltimorensem  a  Sanctitate 
Sua  fuisse  constitutum.  Precor  nunc,  imo  supplex  et  enixe 
rogo,  ut  nunquam  ad  aliam  sedem  transferar.  Liceat  parvo 
quidem,  sed  dilecto  gregi  invigilare  et  pro  eo  impendere  et 

super  impendi Gaudeo  quod  ibi  preesulis  vice  fungatur 

Rev.  Marechal  ubi  ipse  et  ejus  socii,  S.  Sulpicii  sacerdotes, 
cleri  norma  et  institutores  fuerunt  et  omnium  venerationem 
sibi  conciliarunt." 


HIS  AFFECTION  FOR  THE  PRIESTS  OF  ST.  SULPICIUS.  125 

of  these  two  Fathers,  accompanied  by  new  laborers  of 
their  own  society.  For  here  the  harvest  is  abundant, 
but  the  laborers  few;  and  we  need  men  like  those 
whom  the  Society  of  Jesus  furnishes.  They  are 
truly  ministers  who  do  honor  to  the  church,  and 
rightly  dispense  the  word  of  truth."  * 

The  great  affection  that  the  Bishop  of  Boston  en- 
tertained for  the  Jesuits  was  extended  also  to  the 
priests  of  St.  Sulpicius ;  he  was  intimate  with  all  the 
directors  of  the  Seminary  at  Baltimore,  but  more  par- 
ticularly with  the  Superior,  M.  Nagot,  whom  he  ven- 
erated as  a  saint,  and  loved  as  a  father.  He  took 
pleasure,  afterwards,  in  relating  how  this  venerable 
Superior,  wishing  to  resign  his  situation  that  he  might 
give  all  his  thoughts  to  his  own  salvation,  requested 
him  to  manage  this  business  with  the  Archbishop  of 
Baltimore,  and  to  come  and  install  his  successor. 
Bishop  Cheverus  did  both  ;  and  was  touched,  as  well 

*  "  Audio  ven.  P.  Grassy  S.  J.  Romam  cit6  transmeaturum. 
Ipse  viva  voce  quse  ad  ecclesias  nostras  spectant  negotia  ex- 
planabit :  ex  ipsius  puro  ore  genuinam  audies  veritatem.  Una 
cum  aliis  episcopis  cseterisque  quibus  pietas  cordi  est  ecclesi- 
asticis  viris  dilectum  dilectse  societatis  Patrem  maxima  prose- 
quor  veneratione.  Ipsi  comes  adjungitur  dilectus  P.  F.  ejusdem 
societatis,  quem  inter  mihi  amicissimos  numerare  gaudeo. 
.....  Cit6  redeant  ad  nos  precamur,  hi  duo  Patres  novorum 
sociorum  coron^  stipati.  Messis  multa  in  his  locis,  operarii 
pauci ;  et  talibus  indigemus  operariis  quales  suppeditat  societas 
Jesu.  Hi  nemp^  sunt  operarii  inconfusibiles,  rect^  tractan- 
tes  verbum  veritatis." 

11* 


126  i^IFE  OF  CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

as  edified,  by  the  humility  of  this  good  old  man  ;  who, 
as  soon  as  his  associate  was  proclaimed  Superior,  went 
and  fell  on  his  knees,  to  promise  him  obedience  and 
ask  his  benediction.  He  also  corresponded  with  the 
priests  of  St.  Sulpicius,  at  Montreal  in  Canada ;  and, 
though  the  distance  was  great,  he  travelled  there  re- 
peatedly, in  order  to  serve  them,  and  attempt  to 
mediate  between  them  and  a  powerful  personage  who 
was  opposed  to  them.  He  longed  for  the  pleasure  of 
having  them  at  his  disposal,  to  make  them  priests 
for  his  own  diocese,  which  was  destitute.  But  this 
being  impossible,  for  want  of  personal  and  pecuniary 
resources  sufficient  to  establish,  agreeably  to  a  reso- 
lution of  the  Council  of  Trent,  a  seminary  where 
priests  to  aid  him  might  be  educated,  he  chose  some 
virtuous  and  intelligent  young  persons,  whom  he 
thought  suited  to  the  clerical  profession,  took  them 
home  with  him  to  his  own  house,  gave  them  lessons, 
had  them  attend  him  in  the  performance  of  the  va- 
rious duties  of  his  ministry,  and  taught  them  the 
practice,  while  they  studied  the  science,  of  their  profes- 
sion. They  were  exercised  in  singing,  in  the  various 
ceremonies  of  the  church,  and  in  preaching.  And 
while  he  thus  enjoyed  the  consolation  of  preparing 
good  priests  for  future  ministry  in  the  church,  he  expe- 
rienced the  present  important  advantage  of  giving  more 
pomp  and  majesty  to  the  religious  services.  Nothing 
could  be  more  delightful  than  this  seminary  in  the 
episcopal  residence.     Every  thing  was  done  by  rule  ; 


ESTABLISHES  A   CONVENT  OP   URSULINES.  127 

but,  at  the  same  time,  from  affection.  They  feared  to 
displease,  because  they  loved  him  ;  they  anticipated 
all  his  wishes,  because  they  were  happy  to  do  any 
thing  that  was  agreeable  to  so  good  a  master ;  and  this 
attachment  did  not  end  with  their  clerical  education. 
More  than  ten  years  afterwards,  some  young  eccle- 
siastics took  a  voyage  from  Boston  to  Bordeaux,  for 
the  sole  purpose  of  seeing  once  more  their  former 
teacher,  and  enjoying  the  pleasure  of  his  society ;  and 
when  duty  forced  them  to  part  from  him,  to  return 
to  their  post,  there  were  cries  of  grief,  and  distress, 
and  tears,  as  if  they  had  lost  a  father  or  a  mother. 
At  the  same  time  that  the  Bishop  of  Boston  was 
training  up  fellow-laborers  for  the  ministry,  he  was 
engaged  in  an  enterprise  of  the  greatest  importance. 
Hitherto,  there  was  not  in  his  diocese  a  single  Cath- 
olic estabhshment  for  the  education  of  young  per- 
sons ;  consequently,  their  parents  were  reduced  to  the 
necessity,  either  of  educating  them  themselves,  which 
was  in  most  cases  impossible,  or  of  sending  them 
to  Protestant  institutions,  where  they  were  imbued 
from  childhood  with  errors  and  prejudices  against  the 
Catholic  church.  It  was  of  the  utmost  importance 
to  find  a  remedy  for  so  great  an  evil,  and  to  open 
a  pure  fountain,  where  they  might  at  the  same  time 
imbibe  sound  doctrines,  and  acquire  such  knowledge 
as  would  best  fit  them  for  their  condition  in  life. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  such  an  undertaking  was 
attended    with   very   serious    difficulties.      It   was    a 


128  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

pious  work,  which  offered  but  little  to  be  hoped  for 
in  the  present  life,  and  there  was  but  one  religious 
community,  that  could  take  charge  of  such  an  insti- 
tution, and  offer  sufficient  guaranties  for  its  stability.^ 
Then  how  could  the  nuns  be  induced  to  come  so  far, 
and  what  would  be  said  of  such  a  thing  in  Boston  ? 
Would  a  country,  so  imbued  with  prejudice  against 
monastic  vows,  suffer  a  nunnery  to  be  established  ? 
And  finally,  where  could  they  obtain  a  building  for  the 
purpose,  and  the  means  of  supporting  this  new  com- 
munity ?  All  these  difficulties  did  not  deter  the  Bishop 
of  Boston ;  and  his  prudence  understood  how  to  over- 
come all  obstacles.  He  applied  to  a  community  of 
Ursulines,  celebrated  for  their  skill  in  the  education 
of  youth,  and  obtained  a  company  from  it.  He  ap- 
pealed to  the  generosity  of  his  dear  Catholics,  and 
they  furnished  the  funds  necessary  for  the  purchase  of 
a  house,  and  the  maintenance  of  the  nuns.  The  Ur- 
sulines arrived ;  and  the  next  day  the  public  jour- 
nals announced  the  intelligence,  expressing  sentiments 
not  altogether  hostile,  —  their  respect  for  the  Bishop 
who  was  instrumental  to  their  coming  prevented 
this,  —  but,  to  say  the  least,  not  very  friendly. 
Bishop  Cheverus  replied  himself,  the  day  after,  in 
the  public  prints,  and  demonstrated  that  the  union 
of  twelve  persons,  who  were  pleased  to  live  together 
in  the  same  house  without  wishing  to  go  abroad, 
was  the  most  innocent  act  in  the  world,  in  the  eye 
of  the  law ;  and  that  to  wish  to  prevent  their  doing 
*  [And  this  was  in  Canada.  —  TV.] 


KINDLY  RECEIVES    THE    EXILED  TRAPPISTg.  129 

SO  would  be  a  direct  violation  of  personal  liberty. 
From  that  day  not  a  disapproving  voice  was  beard  ; 
the  Ursulines  were  quietly  established  in  Boston,  and, 
in  a  very  short  time,  received  a  great  number  of 
pupils  as  boarders  ;  and  the  Protestants  themselves, 
convinced  of  the  superior  education  which  young 
persons  received  at  this  institution,  wished  to  place 
their  children  there.*" 

Bishop  Cheverus  possessed  such  influence,  that  when 
he  was  known  to  approve  of  any  measure  no  one  ven- 
tured to  oppose  it.  Some  monks  of  the  order  of  La 
Trappe,  driven  from  their  own  country  by  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  learning  from  report  the  consideration  in  which 
he  was  held,  came  to  him,  with  a  view  of  attempting 
to  re-establish  their  scattered  community  in  his  diocese. 
He  received  them  with  his  accustomed  kindness,  lodged 
them  in  his  own  house,  and  fed  them  at  his  own 
table  ;  offering  them,  with  a  generous  and  amiable 
hospitality,  for  as  long  a  time  as  they  pleased,  his 
services  and  protection,  to  enable  them  to  succeed 
in  establishing  themselves  in  the  country.  But  he 
insisted  on  the  condition,  that  they  should  depart 
somewhat  from  their  rules,  which  were,  in  his  opinion, 
incompatible,  in  many  respects,  with  the  extreme  rigor 

*  In  1834,  this  convent  was  burned  down";  and  wholly  de- 
molished by  Protestants,  and  the  incendiaries,  being  cited 
before  the  tribunals,  were  acquitted!  [After  Bishop  Chev- 
erus left  Boston,  the  Ursulines  transferred  their  residence  to 
a  new  convent,  built  for  them  in  Charlestown,  near  Boston. 
It  was  this  building  that  was  burned  in  1834. —  TV.] 


130  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

of  the  climate.*     These  pious  monks  would  not  con- 
sent to  this,  and  proceeded  to  another  country. 

Bishop  Cheverus,  however,  notwithstanding  the 
universal  respect  in  which  he  was  held,  and  the 
gratifying  success  that  he  had  thus  far  met  with, 
passed  many  days  of  sadness  and  hours  of  grief. 
For  a  considerable  time,  he  had  observed  that  his 
worthy  and  excellent  friend,  the  Abbe  Matignon,  was 
perceptibly  declining,  and  drawing  near  the  tomb. 
The  fear  of  losing  this  venerable  man,  whom  he 
honored  as  his  guide,  and  loved  as  a  father,  was 
an  affliction  that  increased  daily,  with  the  progress 
of  his  friend's  illness ;  and  its  severity  can  be  con- 
ceived by  those  only  who  have  known  Bishop  Chev- 
erus, and  can  appreciate  all  the  tenderness,  affection, 
and  sensibility  of  his  soul.  On  the  19th  of  September, 
1818,  a  day  which  seemed  destined  by  Providence 
to  be  one  of  peculiar  grief  to  him,  the  approaches 
of  death  were  manifest ;  he  had  the  firmness  to  ad- 
minister the  last  sacrament  to  his  friend,  to  be  present 
in  his  agony,  and  to  close  his  eyes.  In  this  trying  mo- 
ment, and  in  all  the  anguish  of  his  heart,  his  strength 
of  soul  did  not  forsake  him.  Unlike  those  friends, 
who,  listening  only  to  sorrow,  and  not  to  the  inspi- 
rations of  faith,  avoid  the  obsequies  of  those  they 
love,  he    chose    to    preside    himself    at    the    funeral 

*  Bishop  Cheverus  thought  that  the  midnight  service  of 
the  Trappists,  especially,  could  not  be  performed  in  a  climate 
where  the  cold  was  so  severe. 


PAYS  THE  LAST  HONORS  TO  M.  MATIGNON.    131 

ceremonies,  and  pay  the  last  duties  to  his  worthy 
friend  ;  and  he  wished  to  do  this  with  a  solemnity 
unprecedented  in  a  Protestant  city.  The  body  was 
borne  in  procession  through  the  streets  of  the  city, 
with  mournful  chants,  and  he  brought  up  the  pro- 
cession, with  the  mitre  on  his  head,  surrounded  by 
all  the  Catholics  in  tears.  The  inhabitants  of  Bos- 
ton respected  the  funeral  ceremonies,  unwonted  as 
they  were  ;  and,  by  their  silence  and  orderly  demean- 
or, showed  that  they  honored  the  grief  of  Bishop 
Cheverus,  and  the  memory  of  his  friend.  The 
greatest  order  was  observed  throughout  the  proces- 
sion, and  one  would  have  said,  that,  for  that  day, 
all  Boston  was  Catholic.  The  next  day,  all  the 
journals  of  the  city,  instead  of  taking  any  exception 
to  these  ceremonies,  tendered  their  thanks  to  Bishop 
Cheverus  for  having  so  good  an  opinion  of  the 
friendly  disposition  of  the  people  of  Boston,  and  for 
knowing  how  to  appreciate  the  profound  veneration 
they  felt  for  his  worthy  friend.  It  is  difficult  to 
give  an  idea  how  sensibly  Bishop  Cheverus  was 
affected  by  this  honorable  conduct.  This  incident 
remained  engraven  on  his  heart,  as  one  of  the  most 
affecting  testimonies  of  interest  he  had  ever  received 
from  the  people  of  Boston. 

Nevertheless,  from  that  mournful  day  Bishop 
Cheverus  seemed  a  stranger  to  happiness  ;  the  re- 
membrance of  M.  Matignon  was  continually  pres- 
ent  with  him,  and  daily  renewed  his  grief.     He  felt 


132  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

himself  alone  and  desolate,  though  surrounded  by 
so  many  persons  who  tenderly  loved  him  ;  and  was 
obliged  to  perform  immense  labors,  though  weighed 
down  by  such  heavy  affliction.  His  engagements, 
before  so  numerous,  were  rendered  doubly  arduous  by 
the  death  of  M.  Matignon  ;  as  all  the  ministerial 
duties  performed  by  that  worthy  priest  devolved  upon 
him.  To  these  multiplied  toils  was  added  the  asthma, 
from  which  he  had  long  suffered  some  inconvenience, 
but  which  now  made  alarming  progress.  Still  he  would 
not  relax  in  his  endeavours  to  accomplish  all  the  labors 
before  him.  He  attended  to  every  duty,  and  seemed 
to  multiply  himself  that  he  might  meet  every  de- 
mand upon  him.  He  admitted  two  of  his  pupils  to 
priest's  orders,  that  they  might  supply  his  place  in 
Boston,  while  he  was  absent  on  his  missionary  visi- 
tations. He  went  each  year,  as  in  the  days  of  his 
best  health,  to  visit  the  Penobscot  and  Passamaquoddy 
Indians  ;  and  even  built  them  a  church  on  the  banks 
of  their  river.  During  the  severity  of  winter  and 
the  heats  of  summer,  he  was  seen,  as  heretofore, 
hastening  from  place  to  place,  wherever  there  was 
good  to  be  done,  misfortune  to  be  consoled,  or  the 
sick  to  be  visited. 

Such  arduous  exertions  soon  impaired  his  health 
very  much,  and  increased  the  asthma  under  which  he 
was  laboring,  to  an  alarming  degree.  The  physicians 
declared  to  him,  that  the  only  way  to  save  his  life 
was    to  visit  a   milder   climate ;    that   otherwise   the 


HIS  HEALTH    IS   IMPAIRED.  133 

severity  of  the  winters  at  Boston  would,  in  a  few 
years,  bring  him  to  the  tomb.  Notwithstanding  the 
advice  of  his  physicians,  his  natural  desire  to  be- 
hold his  country  and  his  family  again,  and  the  sad- 
ness which  the  death  of  M.  JMatlgnon  had  diffused 
over  his  residence  in  Boston,  Bishop  Cheverus  would 
not  desert  his  post.  Faith  had  placed  him  there, 
and  faith  kept  him  there ;  and  he  was  determined 
to  die  in  the  new  country  that  had  adopted  him  for 
a  son.  He  had  even  marked  out  his  place  of  sep- 
ulture beside  his  illustrious  friend  M.  Matignon,  ex- 
pecting that  God  would  soon  call  him  to  himself,  and 
looking  with  calmness  on  his  anticipated  departure 
from  this  life. 

But  he  was  called  to  a  trial,  which  to  a  soul  like 
his  was  worse  than  death,  —  a  state  of  debility  that 
no  longer  permitted  him  to  answer  all  the  demands 
made  upon  him.  Suffering  then  himself  from  the 
sufferings  of  the  mission  confided  to  his  care,  he 
thought  of  resigning  his  office  to  some  other  person, 
who,  with  better  health,  might  render  his  ministry 
more  useful ;  and  of  retiring  to  the  bosom  of  his 
family,  there  to  terminate  an  existence  which  he  be- 
lieved was  approaching  its  end.  He  made  known 
what  was  passing  in  his  mind  to  some  of  his  friends  in 
France,  who  urg,ed  him  to  put  his  design  in  execution- 
Still,  as  he  felt  the  importance  of  this  step,  he  would 
not  be  precipitate  ;  and  for  three  years  he  suffered 
this  thought  to  remain  buried  in  his  own  breast. 
12 


134  LIFE   OF  CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  year  1823,  he  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  Prince  de  Croy,  Grand-Almoner 
of  France,  which  announced  to  him  his  nomination 
to  the  Bishopric  of  Montauban.  M.  Hyde  de  Neu- 
ville,  Ambassador  of  France  in  the  United  States, 
who  had  seen  with  pain  the  health  of  the  bishop 
of  Boston  wasting  away,  convinced  from  the  opinions 
of  physicians  that  a  more  genial  climate  would  re- 
establish it,  and  preserve  to  religion  so  worthy  a 
prelate,  had,  on  his  return  to  Paris,  made  known  to 
the  King  his  great  worth,  inducing  this  prince  to 
recall  him,  and  restore  him  to  the  kingdom,  to  which 
by  birth  he  already  belonged.  Louis  the  Eighteenth 
entered  warmly  into  the  views  of  his  ambassador, 
and  immediately  appointed  the  Bishop  of  Boston  to 
the  See  of  Montauban,  and  directed  the  grand- 
almoner  to  notify  him  of  this  appointment.  His  letter 
was  extremely  urgent.  "  I  have  every  reason  to 
believe,"  said  the  grand-almoner  to  him,  "that  Di- 
vine Providence  has  prompted  this  arrangement,  for 
its  own  glory  and  the  good  of  the  church.  His 
Majesty,  relying  on  your  readiness  to  respond  to  the 
high  confidence  he  feels  in  your  piety,  zeal,  and 
devotion  to  his  person,  will  be  pleased  to  learn  that 
your  departure  for  Europe  will  take  place  imme- 
diately." The  Prince  de  Croy,  on  his  own  part, 
earnestly  entreated  him  to  return  without  delay, 
adding,  that  the  Nuncio  of  his  Holiness,  at  Paris, 
would  take  upon  himself  to  see   that  he  was   regu- 


APPOINTED   BISHOP  OF   MONTAUBAN.  135 

larly  dismissed  from  the  bishopric  of  Boston,  and 
would  proceed  according  to  canonical  rule  with 
respect  to  his  new  See. 

Surprise  was  the  first  feeling  awakened  in  the  mind 
of  Bishop  Cheverus,  on  the  reception  of  a  letter  so  un- 
expected ;  but  this  soon  gave  place  to  other  feelings, 
which  contended  in  his  breast  and  threw  him  into  a 
state  of  violent  agitation.  The  thought  of  returning  to 
his  family,  which  at  first  struck  him  so  agreeably,  no 
longer  appeared  to  him  so  delightful,  when  he  was 
about  to  put  it  in  execution.  His  love  of  country,  the 
pleasure  of  his  sovereign,  and  the  difficulty  of  con- 
tinuing so  laborious  a  mission,  all  pleaded  strongly 
in  favor  of  France.  But  then  his  beloved  flock, 
which  he  must  abandon ;  religion,  to  which  he  felt, 
notwithstanding  his  infirmities,  that  he  might  still  be 
useful ;  his  disconsolate  priests,  who,  when  informed 
of  the  letter  he  had  received,  wished  to  follow  him 
wherever  he  should  go ;  his  Ursuline  convent,  whose 
very  existence  he  should  endanger;  and,  finally,  the 
tears  that  would  be  shed  for  him  ;  all  these  appealed 
still  more  powerfully  to  his  heart.  This  conflict  of 
contending  feelings  was  so  violent,  that,  for  several 
days,  he  could  only  weep  and  pray,  without  being 
able  to  come  to  a  decision.  In  these  trying  circum- 
stances, he  consulted  the  Archbishop  of  Baltimore 
and  the  Sulpicians  at  Montreal;  particularly  M.  Roux, 
the  superior  of  the  seminary,  in  whom  he  placed 
entire  confidence.     Their  unanimous  opinion  was,  that 


13i5  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  CHEVEBUS. 

it  vyas.  l^is  duty  to  remain.  This  was  sufficient  to 
determine;  him  ;  and  he  wrote  immediately  to  the 
grand-almoner,  to  express  his  gratitude  and  give  the 
reasons  for  his  refusal.  Tliese  were  the  same  that 
he  bad  before  assigned  to  the  Holy  See,  to  prevent 
his  being  transferred  to  the  Archbishopric  of  Balti- 
more. "  In  consideration  of  these  reasons,"  he  adds, 
"  M.  Marechal  was  appointed  in  my  stead ;  and  the 
church  of  Baltimore  was  a  gainer  by  it.  I  pray 
that  you  will  make  another  nomination,  from  which 
the  church  of  Montauban  wiU  reap  a  simjlj^r  advan- 
tage. If  his  Majesty  will  allow  me,"  he  goes  on  to 
say,  "  as  I  beseech  him  to  do,  to  remain  here  still 
longer,  this  establishment  will  gain  strength,  and  my 
flock  and  the  inhabitants  of  Boston  will  bless  the 
name  of  the  king  of  France.  They  now  see  daily 
at.  my  house  the  portrait  of  his  Majesty,  beside  that 
of  his  martyred  brother;  and  they  would  fain  be 
indebted  to  him  for  my  prolonged  residence  here. 
They  know  that  the  kings  of  France  have  always 
been  disposed  to  favor  missions ;  as  has  been  so  truly 
said  in  the  ninth  chapter  of  the  fourth  book  of  the 
^  Genius  of  Christianity,'  *  which  I  have  translated, 
and  read  to  them  from  the  pulpit.  May  I  venture  to 
hope  that  his  Majesty  will  pardon  me  for  doing 
what  I  believe  before  God  to  be  my  duty." 

The  contents  of  this  letter  were  soon  known  to  the 
people  of  Boston,  who  were  all  much  disturbed  and 

*  See,  at  the  end  of  this  work,  this  interesting  passage. 


PETITION  OF  THE  PEOPLE  OF  BOSTON.       137 

afflicted  by  the  fear  of  losing  so  excellent  a  pastor ; 
and,  the  better  to  insure  its  success,  more  than  two 
hundred  of  the  principal  Protestants  in  the  city- 
added  to  it  their  entreaties  and  petitions.  "We  re- 
joice," they  say,  in  their  letter,  "  that  the  exalted 
merit  of  Monseigneur  I'Eveque  Cheverus  is  so  justly 
appreciated  by  your  highness,  and  by  his  sovereign, 
and  the  evidence  of  his  worth  is  found  in  the  dis- 
tinguished favor  of  a  nomination  to  the  Bishopric  of 

Montauban It  is  impossible  for  us  to  make  known 

to  you,  by  any  words,  how  entire,  grateful,  and  be- 
neficent is  the  dominion  of  Bishop  Cheverus  over  all 
to  whom  he  ministers  in  his  apostolic  authority.  We 
hold  him  to  be  a  blessing  and  a  treasure  in  our  social 
community,  which  we  cannot  part  with,  and  which, 
without  injustice  to  any  man,  we  may  affirm,  if  with- 
drawn from  us,  can  never  be  replaced.  If  the  re- 
moval to  the  proposed  diocese  would  be  conformable 
to  his  wishes,  we  should  mourn  over  this  in  silence. 
If  it  proceed  from  your  own  wishes,  and  those  of  his 
sovereign,  to  have  this  truly  estimable  prelate  asso- 
ciated in  the  immediate  Church  of  France,  it  would 
not  become  us  to  attempt  to  oppose  those  wishes. 
But  if  the  removal  can  be  referred  to  the  principle 
of  usefulness,  we  may  safely  assume  that  in  no  place, 
nor  under  any  circumstances,  can  Bishop  Cheverus 
be  situated  where  his  influence,  whether  spiritual, 
moral,  or  social,  can  be  so  extensive  as  where  he 
now  is."  This  letter,  so  honorable  to  Bishop  Chev- 
12* 


138  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

erus,  was  despatched  to  Paris  at  the  same  time 
with  his  own ;  but  neither  the  one  nor  the  other  re- 
sl6red  peace  and  happiness  to  his  soul.  The  sacrifice 
he  had  just  made  of  France  was  a  wound  still  fresh ; 
and,  at  the  same  time,  he  was  apprehensive  lest  the 
King  should  make  demands  that  he  must  comply  with. 
"My  heart  is  divided,"  he  wrote  shortly  after  to  M. 
Hyde  de  Neuville  ;  *'  but  I  think  myself  obliged,  for 
the  good  of  religion,  and  even  for  the  honor  of  the 
French  name,  not  to  desert  my  post.  If  you  had 
witnessed  the  struggles  I  have  endured,  if  you  had 
known  exactly  my  situation  and  that  of  my  diocese, 
you  would  pardon  my  refusal,  I  am  sure  of  it.  In 
my  letter  to  the  grand-almoner  I  have  stated  the 
reasons  that  prompted  it ;  and  I  shall  not  feel  happy 
until  I  learn  they  are  satisfactory." 

Bishop  Cheverus,  however,  did  not  reveal  all  that 
was  passing  in  his  own  breast ;  he  appeared  calm, 
and  seemed  to  think  only  of  re-assuring  his  beloved 
Catholics  and  his  numerous  friends  ;  he  promised  that 
he  would  not  abandon  them,  and  continued  his  labors 
as  far  as  his  strength  allowed  him.  The  dreaded 
letter  soon  arrived.  The  King  would  not  accept  his 
refusal,  and  directed  his  grand-almoner  to  insist 
strongly  on  his  prompt  return  to  France.  The 
gtaiid-almoner  immediately  wrote  a  second  letter  to 
Bishop  Cheverus,  in  which  he  urged,  1st.  The  ex- 
press will  of  the  King,  who  summoned  him,  a  second 
time,  to  return  as  soon  as  possible,  and  take  charge 


HE  ACCEPTS   THE   APPOINTMENT.  139 

of  the  diocese  of  Montauban.  2dly.  The  state  of  his 
health,  which  had  first  induced  him  to  think  of  re- 
turning to  France  ;  ''  and  I  am  informed,^^  said  he, 
^^hat  this  reason  continues  in  full  forceJ^  3dly.  Mo- 
tives drawn  from  the  present  situation  of  the  clergy 
in  France.  "  Your  great  distance  from  us,"  he  said, 
"  prevents  you,  doubtless,  from  forming  an  exact  idea 
of  this  situation,  of  the  diminution  of  our  resources, 
after  such  protracted  troubles,  and  how  few  persons 
we  iiave  among  us  qualified  to  hold  the  higher  offices. 
I  have,  moreover,  looked  upon  your  return  as  a 
blessing  of  Providence,  and  as  an  alleviation  vouch- 
safed to  me  amid  my  numerous  anxieties. "  He 
alleged  the  deep  aflliction  his  refusal  had  caused, 
the  displeasure  the  King  would  feel  if  his  expec- 
tations were  disappointed,  and  the  designs  of  Heaven, 
which  he  must  recognise  in  this  concurrence  of  cir- 
cumstances ;  and  concluded  by  urging  him  to  hasten 
his  departure. 

Bishop  Cheverus  felt  that  it  was  impossible  for 
him  to  resist  these  urgent  entreaties;  he  thought  he 
discovered  in  them  the  hand  of  Providence  ;  more 
particularly  as  the  physicians  had  just  declared  that 
his  health  could  not  endure  another  winter  in  the  se- 
vere climate  of  Boston.  His  choice  was  made  ;  but 
it  cost  him  many  pangs.  To  leave  Boston  was 
like  rending  his  heart  in  twain  ;  it  was  a  partial 
death.  And,  as  if  he  regarded  the  day  of  his  de- 
parture as  the    day  of  his  death,  he  wished   before 


]  40  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

it  arrived,  according  to  his  own  expression,  "  to  execute 
his  wilV^  He  gave  to  the  diocese  the  church,  the* 
episcopal  residence,  and  the  Ursuhne  convent,  which 
were  his  property.  He  left  to  the  bishops  who  should 
succeed  him  his  library,  which  consisted  of  standard 
works,  and  which  he  parted  with  most  reluctantly. 
Finally,  he  distributed  all  the  rest  of  his  possessions 
among  his  ecclesiastics,  his  friends,  and  the  poor ;  and 
as  he  had  come  to  Boston  a  poor  man,  he  chose  to 
depart  poor,  with  no  other  wealth  than  the  same  trunk 
which,  twenty-seven  years  before,  he  had  brought  with 
him.  He  even  wished  to  leave  behind  him  his  chalice, 
his  cups,  and  his  crucifix  ;  and  he  did  not  conclude  to 
take  them,  until  it  was  observed  that  they  had  be- 
longed to  his  family. 

The  people  of  Boston  were  moved  to  tears  to  see 
him  thus  strip  himself  of  every  thing  ;  and  many  of 
them  testified,  by  acts  of  the  noblest  generosity,  how 
much  it  affected  them.  One  of  the  most  remark- 
able instances  of  this  was  in  the  case  of  a  grocer, 
who,  by  many  years  of  frugality  and  industry,  had  at 
length  amassed  about  twelve  hundred  dollars.  This 
excellent  man  brought  this  fruit  of  his  savings  to  Bish- 
op Cheverus,  begging  him  to  accept  it;  "because,"  said 
he,  *'  after  you  have  thus  deprived  yourself  of  every 
thing  for  us,  I  fear  lest  you  should  be  in  want  yourself ; 
and  if  I  could  suppose  this  to  be  the  case,  it  would 
embitter  my  whole  life."  Bishop  Cheverus  could 
hardly  make  his  refusal  seem  consistent  with  the  grat- 


UNIVERSAL  LAMENTATION   ON  HIS   DEPARTURE.       141 

itude  which  was  manifested  by  his  tears  and  his  ex- 
treme emotion.  Entertaining  the  same  apprehension 
as  the  generous  man  of  whom  we  have  just  spoken, 
the  principal  inhabitants  of  Boston,  Protestant  as  well 
as  Cathohc,  subscribed  to  a  large  amount,  and  came 
in  a  body  to  declare  to  M.  Cheverus  that  this  sum 
was  entirely  at  his  disposal ;  that,  from  that  moment, 
he  could  use  it  as  his  own,  and  that  afterward  he  could 
draw^  as  he  had  need  upon  this  fund,  which  was  his 
own,  and  which  should  never  be  exhausted  any  more 
than  their  gratitude.  This  generous  conduct  affected 
Bishop  Cheverus  beyond  expression ;  but,  at  the  same 
lime,  added  to  the  poignancy  of  his  grief  in  parting 
with  men  so  kind  and  so  devoted  to  him. 

From  all  quarters  adieus,  expressions  of  regret, 
and  testimonials  of  interest  poured  in  upon  him,  and 
inflicted  on  his  heart  additional  pangs.  "  Oh  !  my 
God,"  wrote  the  Archbishop  of  Baltimore  to  him,* 
*'  what  will  become  of  the  American  church  ?  al- 
though settled  at  a  great  distance  from  me,  you  were, 
next  to  God,  my  greatest  dependence.  Will  it  be 
possible  for  me  to  govern  this  province  of  the  church 
after  your  departure  ? "  The  journals,  even  those 
of  the  Protestants,  expressed  equal  regret.  "  This 
worthy  dignitary  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church," 
say  they,  "  has  been  with  us  nearly  thirty  years, 
and  during  this  period  he  has  enjoyed  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  all  classes  of  people.     The  amenity  of 

*  Monseigneur  Mar^chal  was  then  Archbishop  of  Balti- 


142  LIFE   OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

his  manners  as  a  gentleman,  his  accomphshments  as 
a  scholar,  his  tolerant  disposition  as  a  religious  teacher, 
and  his  pure  and  apostolic  life,  have  been  our  theme  of 
praise  ever  since  we  have  known  him.  We  regret  his 
departure  as  a  public  loss."  *  There  was  not  a  single 
individual,  even  to  the  jailer,  who  did  not  lament  the 
loss  of  this  most  worthy  pastor.  He  came  in  tears  to 
bid  him  adieu.  The  Bishop  said  to  him,  with  his 
accustomed  kindness,  "  All  who  leave  you  are  delight- 
ed to  get  away  from  you  ;  such  is  not  the  case  with 
me  ;  I  leave  you  with  regret,  and  I  shall  always  re- 
member your  kind  treatment  towards  the  poor  pris- 
oners. "  The  Catholics,  as  may  well  be  supposed, 
were  not  the  last  to  express  to  him  their  grief.  This 
they  did  in  an  affecting  address,  from  which  we  can 
give  here  only  a  few  extracts.  "Dear  father,"  say 
they,  "permit  your  flock  penetrated  and  subdued  by 
grief,  to  place  before  you  an  humble  offering  of  grati- 
tude and  affection.  Your  departure,  which  has  now 
become  certain,  is  to  us  a  most  afflicting  dispensation  of 
Providence ;  and  the  event  has  inflicted  a  wound, 
whose  anguish  time  may  assuage,  but  can  never  heal. 

As  a  religious  community,  we   were  connected 

and  consolidated  under  your  auspices  ;  and  by  your 
watchings  and  your  prayers  we  have  enjoyed  the 
smiles  of  an  indulgent  Heaven ;  but  at  this  solemn 
moment  of  parting,  probably  for  ever,  the  memory  of 
the  dead  crowds  upon  us,  in  the  loved  form  of  him, 
who  gathered  us  as  a  flock,  and  who  with  you  walked 

*  [Boston  Commercial  Gazette,  Sept.  22d,  1823.] 


ADDRESS   OF  THE   CATHOLICS^,       ^   ' 

hand  in  hand,  laboring  for  our  good ;  but  tTiis  kind 
pastor  to  us,  this  coadjutor  and  friend  to  you,  the  ever 
lamented  Matignon,  has  passed  to  a  better  world,  to 

receive  the  reward  of  the  faithful  and  the  just 

At  this  crisis,  when  the  agony  of  separation  is  fast 
coming  upon  us,  we  cannot  entirely  stifle  our  feelings, 
and  we  must,  and  we  will,  amidst  our  tears  and 
lamentations,  catch  hold  of  your  garments  as  you  turn 
to  leave  us,  and  utter  some  faint  cry  of  your  services 
and  our  attachment.  You  have  fed  the  hungry  and 
clothed  the  naked  ;  brought  back  the  wandering ;  re- 
claimed the  vicious ;  shared  the  joys  of  the  happy ; 
softened  the  pains  of  the  suffering  ;  held  the  medi- 
cinal cup  to  the  sick  and  parched  lip ;  and  taught  the 
dying  that,  through  faith  and  repentance,  he  might 
repose  his  hopes  on  the  bosom  of  redeeming  love. 
You  have  come  down,  as  it  were,  from  the  altar  of 
God,  to  the  common  offices  of  mankind,  to  give  us 
counsel  and  direction  in  our  temporal  concerns.  We 
believe  it  seldom  happens,  that  one  so  devoted  to 
things  divine,  should  be  so  wise  in  the  business  of  the 
world  ;  but  this  wisdom  has  not  been  shown  by  col- 
lecting perishable  riches  for  yourself,  but  in  striving 
to    increase  intelligence,   comfort,  and    respectability, 

among  the  people    of  your   charge May    the 

mild  climate  of  Montauban  restore  and  confirm  your 
health,  and  awaken  your  spirits  to  life  and  happiness; 
and  may  God,  in  his  mercy  and  goodness,  continue 
you  for  many  years,  a  name  and  a  praise  in  the 
church.     And  when  you  shall  sleep  with  your  fathers. 


144  LIFE  OF    CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

and  be  numbered  with  the  great  and  the  good  of  other 
times,  may  our  descendants  here  learn  that  your  bles- 
sing fell  upon  your  first,  as  on  your  second  love  ;  and 
that  Boston  and  Montauban  were  remembered  togeth- 
er in  your  dying  benediction." 

Bishop  Cheverus  was  deeply  affected  on  reading 
this  address,  and  replied  to  it  immediately,  in  the 
most  affectionate  manner.  "Your  kind  address  has 
been  presented  to  me,  and  is  wet  with  my  tears.  How 
unwilling  I  am  to  leave  you,  I  hope  you  all  know,  and 
have  seen  how  gladly  I  refused,  last  May,  the  ap- 
pointment which  I  must  now  accept Excuse  my 

faults  in  the  exercise  of  my  ministry  ;  pray  that  they 
may  be  forgiven  by  the  Supreme  Pastor My  be- 
loved children,  I  press  you  all  to  my  paternal  bosom. 
I  wish,  and  still  have  some  hopes,  to  come  to  you 
again,  and  indulge  the  comforting  hope  that  we  shall 
be  united  in  the  kingdom  of  our  Heavenly  Father." 

But  Bishop  Cheverus  could  not,  in  a  letter,  pour 
forth  the  feelings  of  a  heart  overflowing  with  tender- 
ness for  his  beloved  flock.  The  Sunday  before  his 
departure,  he  ascended  the  pulpit,  and  there,  to  an 
audience  as  numerous  as  the  church  could  contain, 
pronounced  his  last  adieus,  and  gave  his  last  advice 
to  his  flock  ;  and  thanked  even  the  Protestants,  many 
of  whom  were  present,  for  the  affection  and  kindness 
they  had  manifested  towards  him  during  his  residence 
in  Boston.  Nothino;  could  be  more  touchinor  than 
this  discourse ;  a  most  affectionate  heart  had  dictated 
erery  word  of  it,  and  the  voice  of  the  speaker,  broken 


HIS   PARTING  FROM   1113   FRIENDS.  145 

by  strong  emotion,  gave  it  the  most  thrilling  interest. 
On  the  other  hand,  all  the  hearers  were  strongly- 
affected,  and  the  tears  and  sobs  of  great  numbers  an- 
nounced that  the  most  sacred  and  tender  ties  were 
about  to  be  severed.  The  moment  of  his  departure 
soon  arrived,  and  Bishop  Cheverus  then  received  a 
new  and  glorious  evidence  of  the  attachment  felt  for 
him.  More  than  three  hundred  coaches  united  in 
forming  his  escort,  and  accompanied  him  several  miles 
on  his  way  to  New  York,*  where  he  was  to  embark. 
But  they  must  part  at  last ;  they  hung  on  his  neck, 
burst  into  tears,  he  and  they  sobbed  aloud,  and  it 
would  be  difficult  to  say  which  party  felt  the  most 
poignant  grief. 

Thus  took  place  a  separation  most  painful  on  both 
sides  ;  but  their  hearts  were  never  disunited.  Bishop 
Cheverus  left  behind  him  a  name  that  will  live  for 
ever ;  a  reputation  that  will  always  be  glorious  for 
the  church.  The  reader  will  see,  with  pleasure,  how 
a  Protestant  minister.  Dr.  Channing,f  speaks  of  him 
several   years  afterwards.     "  Has  not  the  metropolis 

*  [This  is  thought  to  be  a  mistake.  Bishop  Cheverus,  it  is 
believed,  left  Boston  in  a  stage-coach  unattended  by  any  escort, 
though  twice  this  number  of  coaches  would  have  attended 
him,  had  he  desired  or  allowed  it.  —  TV.] 

f  [In  the  Christian  Examiner,  a  periodical  work  published 
in  Boston.     The   above  extract  is  found  in  a  Review  of  the 
Life  of  Fenelon,  by  Dr.  Channing.  —  Tr.] 
13 


146  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

of  New  England,"  says  this  minister,  "  witnessed  a 
sublime  example  of  Christian  virtue  in  a  Catholic 
bishop  ?  Who  among  our  religious  teachers  would 
solicit  a  comparison  between  himself  and  the  devoted 
Cheverus?  This  good  man,  whose  virtues  and  tal- 
ents have  now  raised  him  to  high  dignities  in  church 
and  state,  who  now  wears  in  his  own  country  the 
joint  honors  of  an  Archbishop  and  a  Peer,  lived  in 
the  midst  of  us,  devoting  his  days  and  nights,  and 
his  whole  heart,  to  the  service  of  a  poor  and  uned- 
ucated congregation.  We  saw  him  declining,  in  a 
great  degree,  the  society  of  the  cultivated  and  re- 
fined, that  he  might  be  the  friend  of  the  ignorant 
and  friendless  ;  leaving  the  circles  of  polished  life, 
which  he  would  have  graced,  for  the  meanest  hovels ; 
bearing  with  a  father's  sympathy  the  burdens  and 
sorrows  of  his  large  spiritual  family  ;  charging  himself 
alike  with  their  temporal  and  spiritual  concerns ;  and 
never  discovering,  by  the  faintest  indication,  that  he 
felt  his  fine  mind  degraded  by  his  seemingly  humble 
office.  This  good  man,  bent  on  his  errands  of  mercy, 
was  seen  in  our  streets  under  the  most  burning  sun 
of  summer,  and  the  fiercest  storms  of  winter,  as  if 
armed  against  the  elements  by  the  power  of  charity. 
He  has  left  us  ;  but  not  to  be  forgotten.  He  enjoys 
among  us  what  to  such  a  man  must  be  dearer  than 
fame.  His  name  is  cherished,  where  the  great  of 
this  world  are  unknown.     It  is  pronounced  with  bless- 


HE  EMBARKS  AT  NEW  YORK.  147 

ings,  with  grateful  tears,  with  sighs  for  his  return,  in 
many  an  abode  of  sorrow  and  want." 

From  this  high  praise,  so  honorable  to  the  memory 
of  Bishop  Cheverus,  the  Protestant  minister  deduces 
consequences  which  it  concerns  us  to  notice.  "How," 
he  continues,  *•  can  we  shut  our  hearts  against  this 
proof  of  the  power  of  the  CathoHc  rehgion  to  form 
good  and  great  men  ?"  "  It  is  time  that  greater  justice 
were  done  to  this  ancient  and  wide-spread  communi- 
ty. The  CathoHc  church  has  produced  some  of  the 
greatest  and  best  men  that  ever  Hved,  and  this  is 
proof  enough  of  its  possessing  all  the  means  of  sal- 
vation." 

Such  is  the  memory,  honorable  to  religion  and  the 
church,  that  Bishop  Cheverus  has  left  in  Boston ; 
and  it  accounts  sufficiently  for  the  regret  his  depar- 
ture occasioned,  and  the  honors  that  the  people  wish- 
ed to  pay  him  on  that  occasion. 

He  embarked  at  New  York,  on  the  1st  of  Octo- 
ber, 1823,  accompanied  by  a  French  ecclesiastic, 
M.  Morainville,  who  had  for  a  long  time  exercised 
the  ministerial  office  in  the  United  States,  and  whose 
impaired  health  forced  him  to  return  to  Europe. 
During  the  passage,  Bishop  Cheverus  charmed  the 
captain  and  all  the  passengers  by  the  kindness  and 
affability  of  his  manners.  Among  them  were  men  of 
all  religions,  Calvinists,  Lutherans,  Anabaptists,  So- 
cinians ;  and  many,  even,  of  no  religion  at  all.  Yet 
they  all  joined  in  the  request  that  he  would  preach 


148  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CIIEVERUS. 

to  them  ;  and,  every  Sunday,  he  prayed  with  them, 
and  read  the  Gospel,  which  he  accompanied  with 
remarks  adapted  to  the  wants  of  his  auditors.  All 
listened  with  attention  and  respect ;  and,  accustomed 
as  they  were  to  hate  the  Catholic  religion,  they  were 
surprised  to  hear  themselves  called  by  the  tender  ap- 
pellation of  beloved  brethren^  which  that  religion,  which 
is  love  itself,  teaches  us  to  apply  to  all  men.  He  often 
preached  also  during  the  week,  and  directed  their  atten- 
tion to  their  Creator  in  heaven,  "  whose  eye  followed 
them,"  he  said,  '-across  this  immense  waste  of  waters." 
It  was,  indeed,  very  evident  that  Providence  did  watch 
over  them.  Until  they  reached  the  mouth  of  the 
Channel,  the  voyage  had  been  extremely  prosperous ; 
and  they  flattered  themselves  they  should  arrive  at 
Havre  the  next  day,  when  they  were  suddenly  assailed 
by  a  most  violent  tempest.  The  captain,  after  hav- 
ing struggled  a  long  time  against  the  fury  of  the 
winds  and  the  violence  of  the  waves,  seeing  all  his 
efforts  useless,  and  the  vessel,  having  lost  its  rud- 
der, borne  violently  towards  the  rocks  that  bordered 
the  coast,  sought  the  Bishop  of  Boston,  and  warned 
him  of  the  danger,  as  possessing  most  firmness  of  soul, 
and  the  best  able  to  sustain  the  courage  of  the  other 
passengers.  "  There  are  a  thousand  chances  to  one," 
he  said,  "  that  we  are  lost."  The  danger  soon  be- 
came more  imminent ;  the  ship  was  opposite  two  per- 
pendicular rocks,  between  which  there  was  only  a  nar- 
row passage.     The  captain    hesitated  ;  he  knew  not 


•     HIS   ALMOST   MIRACULOUS    ESCAPE   FROM   DEATH.     149 

what  to  do.     For  fifteen   hours    he   had    been  strug- 
gling between  hfe  and  death,  and  night  would   soon 
close  in,  and  envelope  them  in   darkness.     In  his  de- 
spair, he  decided  to  attempt  the  perilous  passage,  and, 
at  all  hazards,  to  run  the  ship  upon  the  coast.     This 
resolution    was    desperate;    it    presented   a    thousand 
chances  of  death  ;  but,  in  the  extremity  of  the  case, 
nothing  else  could  be  done.     He  made  known  his  de- 
termination to  Bishop  Cheverus,  who  warned  the  pas- 
sengers to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  for  any  event, 
gave  absolution  to  the  Catholics,  invited  all  to  pray 
to   the    Sovereign    Master    of    life   and    death,    and 
prayed  himself  with   fervor.     In   the    mean  time  the 
ship  advanced,  a  frightful  crash  was  heard,  the  rock 
had  pierced    through    the    ship,   the  water  rushed  in 
on    every   side,    and    all    believed    themselves    lost. 
But,  happily,  the  passage  was  cleared,  the  sea  reced- 
ed, and  very  little  water  was    left   on   the   slope    of 
the  rock   where   the  vessel    struck.     There   was   no 
longer   any    danger.     The    captain,   recovering   from 
his  affright,  threw  himself,  weeping,  on  the  neck  of 
the    Bishop.      "  Sir,"   said  he,  "  your  prayers  have 
saved  us;  we  all  owe  our  lives  to  you."     The  Bish- 
op spoke  words  of  encouragement  to  all  the  passen- 
gers, many  of  whom,  being  restored  as  it  were  from 
death  to  life,  fainted  from  excess  of  surprise  and  joy. 
These  he  took  in   his  arms,  and  bore  to  the  shore ; 
and   no   serious  injury   happened   to  any  one.     This 
event  is  the  more  remarkable,  as,  of  all  the  ships  ex- 
13* 


150  LIFE  OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

posed  to  this  tempest  in  the  same  place,  that  which 
held  the  Bishop  of  Boston  was  the  only  one  saved  ; 
all  the  others  perished,  both  vessel  and  cargo.  Thus 
Bishop  Cheverus,  having  escaped  shipwreck  in  a 
manner  that  he  himself  called  miraculous,  *  touched 
the  soil  of  France,  thirty-one  years  from  the  time  he 
had  left  it. 

*  "  The  merciful  God  has  saved  us  in  a  miraculous  man- 
ner,''^ he  wrote  to  his  family,  on  the  3d  of  November,  of  the 
same  year. 


PROCEEDS  TO  AUDERVILLE  AND  CHERBOUEG.    151 


BOOK    THIRD. 

LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS,  FROM  HIS  RETURN  TO  FRANCE, 
IN  1823,  TO  THE  REVOLUTION  OF  JULY,  1830. 

France  at  length  had  possession  of  Bishop  Chev- 
erus,  and  the  news  of  his  arrival  was  as  precious 
and  delightful  to  all  who  knew  him,  as  his  own 
emotions  were  tender  on  again  finding  himself  in 
his  native  country.  He  went  directly  to  Auderville, 
the  seat  of  the  nearest  church,  there  to  celebrate 
the  festival  of  All  Saints,  which  occurred  on  the 
day  after  his  arrival.  Exhausted  by  fatigue,  he 
could  then  only  perform  low  mass ;  but  on  the 
following  day,  which  was  Sunday,  he  officiated  at 
high  mass,  and  preached  at  vespers.  On  Monday, 
he  received  the  visits  of  all  the  clergy  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood, who,  informed  of  his  arrival  by  public 
report,  lost  no  time  in  coming  to  pay  their  respects 
to  so  venerated  a  prelate ;  and,  on  Tuesday  the 
4th  of  November,  he  set  off  for  Cherbourg.  He 
was  received  with  marks  of  respect  in  all  the  par- 
ishes through  which  he  passed,  and  compelled  to 
stop,  from  time  to  time,  to  afford  both  pastors  and 
people  the   happiness   they  earnestly  desired,  of  en- 


152  LIFE    OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

joying  his  presence  for  a  few  moments,  and  of  re- 
ceiving his  blessing.  He  reached  Cherbourg  towards 
evening,  and  w^ent  to  the  presbytery,  where  fifteen 
ecclesiastics  were  assembled,  at  a  session  of  the  the- 
ological conferences,  which  Monseigneur  the  Bish- 
op of  Coutances  had  recently  established  in  his  di- 
ocese. He  was  introduced  into  the  hall  of  confer- 
ence, and,  on  the  instant,  all  the  priests,  dehghted 
to  see  him  and  feeling  the  deepest  respect  for  him, 
fell  on  their  knees  to  receive  his  benediction.  It 
would  be  impossible  to  describe  the  emotion  of 
the  Bishop  at  this  sight.  To  find  himself,  for  the 
first  time  after  an  absence  of  thirty  years,  in  so  nu- 
merous an  assembly  of  French  ecclesiastics,  many  of 
whom  even  had  been  his  companions  in  exile,  and 
to  see  them  all  on  their  knees  at  his  feet !  It  was 
enough  to  affect  a  soul  less  susceptible  than  his.  This 
spectacle  was  more  than  he  could  bear;  he  could 
not  restrain  his  tears ;  he  blessed  them,  and  embraced 
them  all  with  tenderness. 

The  news  of  his  arrival  spread  rapidly  through 
Cherbourg ;  and  immediately  the  Viscount  de  Co- 
nillac,  governor  of  the  city,  the  Marquis  de  Frotte, 
sub-prefect,  all  the  civil  authorities,  as  well  as  all  the 
clergy,  hastened  to  pay  him  their  respects.  The 
first  went  so  far  as  to  offer  him,  not  in  his  own  name, 
but,  with  still  more  delicacy,  in  the  name  of  the 
King  of  France,  Louis  the  Eighteenth,  any  pecuniary 
assistance  he  might  need   in  consequence  of  his  ship- 


PROCEEDS  TO  PARIS.  153 

wreck.  Bishop  Cheverus,  who  had  just  enough  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  his  journey,  was  not  willing 
to  accept  this  offer,  and  resisted  all  the  kind  entreaties 
made  him  to  that  effect.  He  was  more  easily  per- 
suaded on  another  point.  The  whole  city  wished 
to  receive  some  evangelical  instruction  from  his  lips  ; 
this  wish  was  communicated  to  him,  and  he  was 
conjured  to  grant  it ;  and  the  pleasure  of  hearing 
him  in  the  pulpit  was  solicited  as  a  favor  which 
they  should  most  highly  value.  This  proposition  at 
first  embarrassed  Bishop  Cheverus  ;  since,  not  hav- 
ing preached  in  French  for  the  last  thirty  years, 
except  two  or  three  times  during  his  travels  in  Can- 
ada, and  recently  at  the  village  of  Auderville,  the 
language  had  become  to  him  like  a  foreign  one,  and 
he  dared  not  trust  himself  before  a  large  audience. 
But,  as  he  could  not  refuse  any  favor,  especially  to 
those  who  had  been  so  kind  to  him,  he  went  into 
the  pulpit,  and,  except  a  few  Anglicisms  that  now 
and  then  escaped  him,  acquitted  himself  with  as  much 
ease  and  grace  of  elocution  as  if  he  had  never  spoken 
any  but  his  mother  tongue. 

The  next  day  he  left  Cherbourg,  and  proceeded 
directly  to  Paris.  There,  after  having  paid  his  re- 
spects to  the  King,  who  received  him  in  a  manner 
particularly  kind,  and  confirmed  to  him  his  settled 
purpose  to  make  him  Bishop  of  Montauban,  he  found 
himself  besieged  by  eager  visitants  and  flattering  in- 
vitations.    All  contended  for  the  pleasure  and  honor 


154  LIFE   OP   CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

of  his  company.  On  the  one  hand,  his  old  comrades 
of  Louis-le-Grand,  his  friends  at  college  and  the 
seminary,  wished  to  celebrate  his  happy  return.  On 
the  other,  various  churches  and  religious  institutions 
aspired  to  the  happiness  of  hearing  him  preach. 
We  will  mention,  among  others,  the  Seminary  of 
Saint  Nicholas,  where,  being  complimented  by  the 
students  in  Latin,  he  replied  in  the  same  language, 
with  the  same  purity  of  style  and  elegance  of  thought, 
which,  thirty-one  years  before,  had  gained  him  so 
ranch  admiration  at  the  Sorbonne ;  the  Seminary  of 
Issy  also,  where,  being  invited  to  preside  at  a  re- 
ligious ceremony,  on  the  21st  of  November,  he  spoke 
to  the  students  in  a  spirit  of  piety,  and  with  a  warmth 
of  zeal,  truly  apostolical  ;  and  finally,  the  Association 
of  Saint  Joseph,  for  the  benefit  of  poor  laborers, 
where  he  addressed  to  hard-working  indigence  words 
of  consolation  and  well-timed  counsel. 

The  pleasure  which  the  Bishop  of  Boston  enjoyed 
in  Paris,  in  seeing  again  so  many  endeared  friends, 
and  scenes  that  recalled  so  many  delightful  recol- 
lections, was  cruelly  counterbalanced  by  news  that 
filled  his  heart  with  profound  sorrow.  A  sister  whom 
he  loved  with  peculiar  tenderness,*  and  was  rejoic- 
ing in  the  hope  of  seeing  and  embracing  once  more, 
had  been  taken  from  the  world ;  God  had  called 
her   to   himself,   full    of  grace   and   of  good    works. 

*  Madame  George,  of  whom  we  have  spoken  in  the  com- 
mencement of  this  work. 


GOES   TO    MAYENNE.  155 

Bishop  Cheverus  felt  this  stroke  severely  ;  but  still 
he  endured  it  with  resignation  and  fortitude,  and  set 
out  soon  after  for  Mayenne,  his  native  cily,  which 
he  yearned  to  behold.  He  made  his  arrangements 
not  to  arrive  there  till  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
hoping  by  the  lateness  of  the  hour  to  avoid  the 
honors  of  a  reception ;  but  he  had  scarce  entered  the 
city,  before  the  good  news  of  his  arrival  spread  in 
every  direction ;  the  ringing  of  bells  announced  it  to 
all  the  inhabitants ;  a  spontaneous  illumination  ap- 
peared as  he  passed  along  ;  crowds  of  people  press- 
ing around  him,  with  lighted  torches  in  their  hands, 
and  uttering  exclamations  of  joy,  accompanied  him 
to  his  brother's  house.  The  next  day,  the  clergy, 
wishing  to  indemnify  themselves  for  the  privation  they 
had  suffered  on  the  evening  previous,  went  in  proces- 
sion to  the  house  where  Bishop  Cheverus  was,  and 
conducted  him  under  a  canopy  to  the  church,  arrayed 
in  his  pontifical  robes ;  and,  in  front  of  the  principal 
door,  they  made  him  a  complimentary  address,  applying 
to  him  the  language  of  the  Jewish  people  to  Judith ; 
"You  are  the  glory  of  our  country  :  Tu  honorificentia 
populi  nostri.^'  A  solemn  Te  Deum  was  chanted, 
as  an  expression  of  gratitude  for  his  happy  return ; 
and,  after  the  ceremony,  all  the  authorities  of  the 
city  came  to  pay  him  their  respects.  Several  ad- 
dresses were  made  to  him,  and  his  replies  to  them 
all  were  very  courteous  and  animated. 


156  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

Two  days  after,  he  preached  in  the  church  of 
Notre  Dame.  The  curate  of  this  parish  had  died 
the  preceding  Friday.  This  curate  was  M.  Souge, 
the  friend  of  his  childhood,  and  his  companion  in 
exile  when  he  left  Mayenne,  and  for  some  time  in 
England.  He  wished  to  honor  his  memory  by  pro- 
nouncing his  funeral  oration.  The  subject  of  his 
eulogy  was  a  priest  distinguished  alike  for  virtue 
and  talent ;  and  he  spoke  his  praises  with  all  the 
interest  that  such  a  subject  was  calculated  to  in- 
spire, and  all  the  sensibility  of  the  most  affection- 
ate heart,  expecting  to  embrace  his  friend,  but  find- 
ing only  his  cold  remains.  This  first  discourse  of 
the  Bishop  awakened  in  his  auditors  a  desire  to 
listen  to  others  ;  and,  as  it  was  so  painful  to  him  to 
refuse,  he  acceded  to  all  their  requests  :  which  were 
as  numerous  as  it  was  possible  for  him  to  comply, 
with.  That  is,  they  wished  him  to  preach  every 
Sunday  and  holyday,  and  even  every  morning  and 
evening  for  several  days,  at  the  exercises  of  a  retreat. 
They  were  never  satisfied  with  listening  to  him ; 
the  whole  city  thronged  to  hear  him  preach,  and 
caught  every  word  with  enthusiasm.  Even  those 
who  before  affected  to  contemn  the  divine  word 
evinced  the  same  eagerness  to  attend  on  his  teach- 
ing, and  always  went  away  more  charmed  with  the 
preacher,  more  interested  in  religion,  and  less  pre- 
judiced against  it. 

To  all  this  preaching,  Bishop  Cheverus,  still  truly 


HIS    LABORS   AT    MAYENNE.  157 

apostolical,  at  Mayenne  as  in  Boston,  added  other 
labors.  He  restored  peace  and  harmony  in  many 
families,  terminated  their  dissensions,  and  effected 
reconciliations.  He  was  to  be  seen  wherever  there 
was  good  to  be  done,  misfortune  to  solace,  or  con- 
solation to  be  administered.  The  Sisters  of  the 
Visitation,  the  patients  at  the  hospital,  the  inmates  of 
the  prison,  all  saw  him,  listened  to  him,  admired  him, 
and  shared  his  kindness.  Being  informed  one  day  that 
a  priest,  w^ho  was  so  far  unfaithful  to  his  engagements 
as  to  unite  a  secular  mode  of  life  with  the  sanctity 
of  his  profession,  would  willingly  receive  a  visit  from 
him,  he  went  to  him  immediately,  conversed  with 
him  respecting  his  conduct,  and,  after  several  con- 
versations, had  the  happiness  to  see  him  open  his 
eyes  to  the  light,  and  become  reconciled  to  God  and 
the  church.  This  conversion  was  only  a  prelude  to 
another,  still  more  delightful  to  his  heart.  There 
was  at  Mayenne  a  celebrated  physician,  an  honorable 
man  in  the  view  of  the  world,  even  a  believer  in 
religion,  of  which  he  was  not  ignorant,  but  unhap- 
pily little  careful  to  fulfil  its  duties.  He  became 
dangerously  ill ;  no  one  dared  to  speak  to  him  of 
seeing  a  priest.  Some  one  made  known  this  difficul- 
ty to  Bishop  Cheverus,  adding,  that  he  was  per- 
suaded, if  he  would  have  the  goodness  to  go  and  see 
the  sick  man,  although  a  stranger  to  him,  his  visit  would 
gratify  him,  and  might  be  the  means  of  preparing 
him  to  receive  the  last  sacrament,  and  die  the  death 
14 


158  LIFE    OF    CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

of  a  Christian.  The  Bishop  went  immediately  to 
the  house  of  the  sick  man,  and  spoke  to  him  with 
that  affection  and  touching  kindness  which  no  one 
could  resist.  The  sick  man,  softened  and  grateful, 
begged  the  Bishop  to  grant  him  the  favor  of  hearing 
his  confession ;  after  which  he  received  the  last  sa- 
crament with  sentiments  of  the  most  sincere  piety. 
Happy  influence  of  religion  to  comfort  and  sustain 
the  soul  which  is  about  to  leave  all  it  loved  !  The 
sick  man,  who  before  appeared  sad  and  uneasy,  now 
seemed  calm  and  tranquil.  From  that  moment  until 
his  death,  appreciating  the  value  of  his  reconciliation 
with  God,  he  never  ceased  to  bless  Heaven  for  send- 
ing an  angel  to  open  to  him  the  gates  of  Paradise. 
Bishop  Cheverus,  on  his  part,  moved  even  to  tears 
by  a  repentance  so  sincere,  devoted  himself  to  him 
as  to  a  friend  acquired  on  the  brink  of  the  tomb  ; 
and  this  event,  as  he  has  often  said  since,  afforded 
him  the  sweetest  recollection  he  retained  of  his 
sojourn  at  Mayenne. 

While  the  Bishop  of  Boston,  in  the  bosom  of  his 
family,  was  thus  devoting  himself  to  the  labors  of  a 
truly  apostolical  zeal,  he  received  a  letter  from  the 
Grand- Almoner,  which  recalled  him  suddenly  to  Paris. 
The  bishops  of  America,  dismayed  at  the  immense 
loss  which  religion  would  sustain  in  the  United  States, 
should  Bishop  Cheverus  remain  permanently  in 
France,  and  deeply  sensible  of  her  need  of  a  priest 
whose  virtues  and  talents  gave  him  such  a  powerful  in- 


THE   POPE    WISHES  HIM  TO  RETURN   TO  BOSTON.      159 

fluence,  had  written  to  Rome,  to  supplicate  the 
Holy  See  not  to  permit  so  great  a  calamity.  The 
Sovereign  Pontiff  had  consequently  requested  the 
King  of  France  to  make  another  nomination  for 
Montauban,  and  written  to  Bishop  Cheverus  to  in- 
duce him  to  return  to  Boston.  *'  When  I  think,"  he 
said  to  him,  "  of  what  advantage  your  episcopal  labors 
have  already  been  to  the  American  church;  what 
grace  the  Holy  Spirit  has  bestowed  upon  you,  not 
only  to  establish  firmly  the  Catholic  faith  in  the  di- 
ocese of  Boston,  and  gain  for  it  new  converts,  but 
also  to  serve  the  church  in  the  other  dioceses  of  the 
United  States,  and  win  the  esteem  of  heretics  them- 
selves ;  I  cannot  conceal  from  you  my  very  great  fear 
that  your  translation  may  be  a  serious  calamity  to 
the  American  church."*  This  letter  threw  Bishop 
Cheverus  into  a  state  of  most  painful  uncertainty. 
On  the  one  hand,  being  a  dutiful  subject  of  the  Holy 
See,  he  wished  to  obey  ;  besides,  Boston  was  still 
so  dear  to  his  heart  that  he  could  not  hear  it  named 
without    tears.     On    the    other   hand,    he    perceived 

■'^"Ubi  mecum  ipse  reputo  quanto  cum  Americanas  ecclesiae 
bono  episcopatum  Bostoniensem  hue  usque  gesseris,  quantam- 
que  tibi  Spiritus  S.  gratiam  contulerit,  ut  non  modo  fidei 
catholicsB  in  Bostoniensi  dioecesi  confirmandse  augendoque 
catholicorum  numero  par  evaseris,  veriim  etiam  ecclesiae  in 
caeteris  fcederatorum  statuum  dioecesibus  utilitati  fueris,  ab 
ipsisque  haereticis  observantise  argumenta  receperis,  non  pos- 
sum non  apert^  fateri  me  vehementer  timere  ne  si  translatio 
ista  contingat,  id  gravissimo  ecclesisB  darano  in  America  sit 
futurura." 


160  LIFE   OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

many  difficulties  in  the  way  of  retracing  so  decided 
a  step  as  his  departure  from  America.  He  merely 
stated  them  in  a  respectful  reply  ;  representing, 
1st.  That  his  health  was  so  much  impaired,  that  he 
could  neither  endure  the  labors  of  so  toilsome  a 
mission,  nor  the  severity  of  so  cold  a  climate. 
2d.  That  he  possessed  nothing,  either  in  Boston, 
where  he  had  given  away  all  he  had,  before  his 
departure,  or  in  France,  where  he  had  no  patri- 
mony ;  and  that  he  was  entirely  destitute  of  pecu- 
niary resources,  not  having  enough  even  to  defray 
the  expense  of  the  passage.  He  therefore  implored 
his  Holiness  not  to  appoint  him  to  Montauban,  which 
appointment  he  had  never  desired,  but  to  sanction  his 
dismission  from  the  diocese  of  Boston,  and  allow  him 
to  terminate,  in  retirement,  in  the  bosom  of  his  fam- 
ily, a  life  which  he  thought  was  threatened  with 
a  speedy  end.  Or,  should  he  object  to  this,  he 
requested  that  he  would  allow  him  an  assistant, 
an  ecclesiastic  whom  he  named ;  adding,  that  his 
Holiness,  after  making  the  experiment  of  a  provis- 
ional administration,  could  hereafter  pronounce  upon 
the  necessity  of  his  return,  and  would  always  find 
him  ready  to  obey.  To  these  representations  the 
French  court  added  its  urgent  entreaties,  and  the 
Pope  no  longer  insisted  ;  the  bulls  for  Montauban 
were  despatched. 

While  these  negotiations  were  pending,  Bishop 
Cheverus  did  not  intermit  his  endeavours  to  be  useful, 
nor  the  efforts  of  his  zeal,  whenever  occasion  offered. 


PREACHES  IN  THE  CHURCH   OF  ST.  SULPICIUS.         161 

The  second  Sunday  after  Easter,  his  friend  M.  de 
Pierre,  curate  of  St.  Sulpicius,  invited  him  to  preach 
in  his  church.  The  desire  to  hear  so  distinguished 
a  prelate  attracted  a  numerous  and  an  illustrious  au- 
dience ;  among  whom  were  the  Grand-Almoner,  many- 
bishops  and  peers  of  France,  and  other  nobles  of  the 
kingdom.  Everybody  expected  an  eloquent  and 
elaborate  discourse.  Bishop  Cheverus,  v^^ho  in  all 
things  aimed  only  at  what  was  most  useful,  confined 
himself  to  simple  and  familiar,  but  touching  and 
practical  instructions,  upon  the  good  example  men- 
tioned in  the  Epistle  for  the  day ;  and  when  it  was 
remarked  to  him,  after  the  sermon,  how  many  great 
personages  had  come  to  hear  him,  he  replied,  with 
simplicity,  "I  knew  nothing  of  it ;  but  if  I  had  known 
it,  I  should  not  have  given  them  any  better  fare;" 
thus  evincing  how  foreign  to  him  was  every  feeling 
of  self-love  and  vanity,  and  all  thought  of  seeking 
renown.  To  do  good  was  his  only  ambition.  He 
even  seemed  to  multiply  himself,  that  he  might  im- 
prove every  occasion  of  this  kind  that  offered.  Thus, 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  after  having  performed  mass 
in  a  church  in  Paris,  he  went  to  perform  the  office 
of  assistant  bishop  at  the  consecration  of  Monseigneur 
de  Janson,  at  Mont  Valerien ;  and  thence  returned 
to  preach  the  sermon  at  vespers  in  the  church  of 
St.  Sulpicius.  This  sermon,  although  extempora- 
neous, was  very  remarkable.  In  it  he  represented 
how,  on  that  day,  the  Holy  Spirit  had  founded  the 
14* 


:i.x»v. 


162  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

church,  with  its  four  great  characteristics  ;  making  it 
one,  by  the  union  of  minds  and  hearts ;  holy,  by  the 
exalted  virtues  of  the  first  Christians  ;  Catholic,  by 
the  conversion  of  men  of  every  nation,  who  were  at 
Jerusalem,  as  so  many  deputies  from  the  different 
countries  of  the  earth ;  and  apostolical,  by  the  sub- 
mission of  all  the  faithful  to  the  instruction  and  the 
authority  of  the  Apostles. 

So  many  pious  labors  were  not  in  vain ;  and  Bishop 
Cheverus  could  indulge  the  dehghtful  thought,  that, 
should  the  Pope  accede  to  his  request  to  be  allowed 
to  pass  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  retirement,  he 
could  still  render  himself  useful.  "  I  will  then  go," 
he  wrote,  "  and  throw  myself  at  the  feet  of  the 
King,  assure  him  of  my  devotion  to  his  sacred  per- 
son ;  after  which  I  will  bury  myself  in  retirement, 
where  I  shall  never  cease  to  pray  for  his  Majesty, 
and  to  preach  both  by  words  and  example,  as  far  as 
my  strength  will  permit,  the  love  of  religion  and  of 
the  best  of  kings.  Already,  since  my  return  to  my 
own  country,  I  have  seen  with  satisfaction  that  my 
efforts  can  yet  contribute  to  the  support  of  the  altar 
and  of  the  legitimate  throne,  a  sacred  cause,  to  which 
I  have  all  my  life  been  devoted." 

But  Providence  had  already  ordered  differently 
for  him ;  the  bulls  from  Rome  had  reached  Paris, 
and  were  in  the  hands  of  the  Council  of  State,  and 
Bishop  Cheverus  expected  every  moment  to  receive 
them,  when  a  new  and  very  strange  difficulty  arose 


BECOMES   BISHOP   OP  MONTAUBAN.  163 

to  delay  their  transmission  to  him.  It  was  pretended, 
that,  having  been  naturalized  as  an  American  citizen, 
and  having  been  absent  from  France  for  more  than  thirty- 
years,  he  could  no  longer  be  considered  a  French- 
man, nor,  consequently,  be  promoted  to  a  See  in  that 
kingdom.  Bishop  Cheverus,  offended  to  find  his  title 
to  the  name  of  Frenchman  disputed,  wrote  immedi- 
ately to  the  minister,  that,  if  the  King  of  France, 
after  having  recalled  him  as  his  subject,  now  refused 
to  recognise  him  as  such,  he  would  leave  Paris  the 
next  morning,  and  for  ever  renounce  the  Bishopric  of 
Montauban.  His  decision  put  an  end  to  the  diffi- 
culty at  once ;  the  bulls  were  recorded  immediately, 
and  sent  the  same  evening  to  the  Bishop,  who  was 
at  length  recognised  as  a  Frenchman. 

From  the  moment  the  papal  bulls  were  in  the  pos- 
session of  Bishop  Cheverus,  he  lived  only  for  his  dio- 
cese. The  first  object  he  proposed  to  himself,  was 
the  organization  of  his  seminary ;  convinced  that  on  this 
depended  the  perpetuity  of  the  priesthood,  ecclesi- 
astical learning  and  piety,  and,  in  a  word,  the  future 
prosperity  of  the  diocese.  With  this  view,  he  applied 
to  the  society  of  the  priests  of  St.  Sulpicius,  whom 
he  had  loved  and  venerated  from  his  youth,  but  with 
whom  especially  he  had  maintained  the  most  intimate 
relations  during  his  residence  in  America.  He  wished 
very  much  to  confide  to  them  the  direction  of  his 
seminary  ;  and  M.  Duclaux,  who  was  then  Superior  of 
this  society,  was  equally  desirous  to  take  charge  of 


164  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

it,  from  his  respect  for  the  worth  of  such  a  bishop, 
and  his  gratitude  for  the  services  he  had  rendered 
the  Sulpicians  in  America.  But  their  society  could 
not  furnish  suitable  persons,  and  he  was  obliged, 
though  with  regret,  to  refuse  his  request.  Bishop 
Cheverus  was  more  fortunate  in  his  application  to 
the  priests  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  known  under  the 
name  of  Lazarists,  and  obtained  from  them  the  di- 
rectors he  desired.  This  arrangement  relieved  him 
from  a  burden  that  weighed  heavily  upon  him;  for 
it  was  his  firm  conviction,  that  a  seminary  could  be 
conducted  properly,  only  by  the  members  of  a  re- 
ligious community,  devoted  by  their  profession  to  this 
arduous  life ;  who  should  be  permanent,  also,  and 
without  any  expectation  of  promotion  to  ecclesias- 
tical  preferments  and  dignities. 

Freed  from  this  care,  with  the  approbation  of 
the  government,  he  chose  for  his  grand  vicars  two 
priests  of  his  new  diocese,  who  deservedly  enjoyed 
in  the  highest  degree  universal  confidence ;  and  with- 
out delay  set  out  for  Montauban.  On  the  27th 
of  July,  he  arrived  at  Moissac,  the  second  city  of 
his  diocese,  and  was  received  there  with  indescriba- 
ble enthusiasm  and  demonstrations  of  joy  and  respect. 
He  left  this  city  at  six  o'clock  the  next  morning, 
after  having  celebrated  mass ;  and  encountered  on 
the  road  to  Montauban  the  Prefect  and  the  General, 
who  had  come  to  meet  him  with  an  immense  crowd 
of  people,    eager   to   see  him ;  and,  at   the  entrance 


HIS  ARRIVAL  IN   HIS  DIOCESE.  165 

of  the  city,  the  clergy,  the  municipal  corps,  and  the 
deputies  of  the  various  religious  corporations  were  as- 
sembled under  tents  prepared  for  his  reception.  After 
having  been  greeted  by  the  Mayor  in  the  name  of  the 
city,  and  by  the  Abbe  de  Trelissac,  his  grand  vicar, 
in  the  name  of  the  clergy,  he  made  his  solemn  entry 
into  Montauban,  in  his  pontifical  robes,  to  the  sound 
of  salutes  of  artillery  and  strains  of  harmonious  music 
mingled  with  sacred  hymns,  attended  by  a  numer- 
ous clergy,  the  different  religious  corporations,  sol- 
diers in  full  uniform,  and  an  innumerable  multitude 
of  Catholics,  whose  countenances  were  all  expressive 
of  joy  and  happiness.  When  he  arrived  before  the 
door  of  the  cathedral,  he  threw  himself  on  his  knees 
to  invoke  the  divine  benediction  upon  his  church, 
his  flock,  and  his  official  career.  After  a  fervent 
prayer,  he  entered  the  church,  deeply  moved  ;  and, 
having  gone  into  the  pulpit,  he  exclaimed,  in  a  voice 
trembling  with  emotion,  "  What  happiness  1  feel,  my 
dear  children  in  Jesus  Christ,  in  finding  myself  in  the 
midst  of  the  beloved  flock  which  Providence  has 
vouchsafed  to  confide  to  my  care !  Your  eagerness 
to  receive  me,  and  to  testify  to  me  your  filial  love, 
awaken  in  me  the  most  grateful  emotions.  I  per- 
ceive that  your  affection  for  me  equals  my  love  for 
you.  You  are  my  children,  my  friends;  and  I  am 
your  father,  your  most  devoted  friend.  I  desire 
henceforth  to  live  only  for  you,  to  watch  over  and 
provide  for  your  spiritual  good,  to  console  this  diocese 


166  LIPE   OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

for  its  long  widowhood  since  the  loss  of  its  first  pas- 
tor, and  I  would  gladly  give  my  life  for  your  happi- 
ness and  salvation."  Then,  pouring  forth  the  ten- 
derness and  affection  which  filled  his  heart,  he  ad- 
dressed the  various  authorities,  and  the  whole  people, 
in  terms  the  most  afl^ectionate  and  paternal.  He  did 
not  even  forget  the  Protestants,  who  are  considerably 
numerous  in  the  diocese  of  Montauban,  and  testified 
to  them,  that  day,  the  interest  he  felt  in  them. 
"There  is,"  said  he,  "an  interesting  portion  of  the 
inhabitants  of  this  diocese,  who,  although  strangers 
to  our  communion,  ought  not  to  be  so  to  our  affec- 
tions. I  wish  also  to  be  to  them  a  father  and  a 
friend  ;  happy,  should  I  one  day  be  permitted  to  unite 
them  all  to  our  faith,  as  we  ought  to  include  them 
in  our  charity." 

After  this  discourse,  the  Te  Deum,  and  the  usual 
ceremonies,  the  Bishop  received  again  in  his  palace 
the  compliments  of  the  different  authorities,  and  re- 
plied in  the  most  gracious  manner.  He  said  to  them, 
"  I  have  a  very  affectionate  heart,  and  I  wish  to  be 
loved."  The  Protestant  ministers  were  likewise  re- 
ceived by  him,  and  heard  from  his  lips  the  expres- 
sions of  genuine  charity.  "  I  shall  use  my  best  en- 
deavours," said  he  to  them,  "  to  establish  friendly 
relations  between  us,  mutual  respect,  benevolence, 
and  affection.  It  would  be  delightful  to  me,  to  see 
the  most  intimate  and  endearing  relations  subsisting 
between  us." 


HE  ORGANIZES    HIS   CHAPTER.  167 

Such  was  the  entrance  of  Bishop  Cheverus  into 
Montauban  ;  and  it  may  be  truly  said,  that  from  this 
first  day  he  won  all  hearts  ;  all,  both  Protestants  and 
Catholics,  were  unanimous  in  his  praise,  and  in  their 
love  for  him. 

He  immediately  turned  his  attention  to  the  organ- 
ization of  his  Chapter.  In  this,  favoritism  had  no  in- 
fluence ;  merit  alone  determined  his  choice.  Already, 
during  his  stay  in  Paris,  he  had  nominated  several 
canons ;  he  now  completed  the  number.  Afterwards, 
considering  how  important  it  was,  whether  for  the 
honor  of  religion  and  the  glory  of  God,  or  for  drawing 
greater  numbers  of  the  faithful  to  the  church,  to  give 
to  the  parochial  services  all  possible  pomp  and  so- 
lemnity, he  united  the  parish  to  the  chapter,  and 
ordained  that  the  capitulary  mass  should  be  the  paro- 
chial mass.  He  did  not  believe,  that  the  dignity  of  a 
chapter  consisted  in  separating  itself  from  the  people, 
and  in  celebrating  its  imposing  ceremonies  in  the 
gloomy  solitude  of  a  deserted  cathedral.  He  thought, 
on  the  contrary,  that  the  greatest  pomp  should  be  dis- 
played where  the  assembly  of  the  faithful  was  gathered 
together ;  that  nothing  was  more  worthy  of  a  chapter 
than  to  contribute  to  this  by  its  presence,  and  to  attract 
to  its  services,  by  uniting  them  with  the  parochial 
service,  a  multitude  of  people  who  w^ould  give  them 
interest  and  life. 

In  consequence  of  this  measure,  the  services  at 
the  cathedral  were    performed  with   the   greatest  so- 


168  LfFE   OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

lemnily.     On    Sundays    and    holydays    an    immense 
concourse  of  people  attended,  and  the  church,  though 
very  large,  could  hardly  contain  them.     It   must  be 
confessed,  that  the  Catholics  were  attracted  also  by 
another  motive.     Bishop   Cheverus,  since  his   return 
to  France,  had  remarked  the  profound  ignorance  that 
existed  in  regard  to  the  elementary  truths  of  religion, 
even   among   persons   acquainted  with   the   arts   and 
sciences,  and  sometimes  even  among  those  who  pro- 
fessed a  sort  of  piety.     He    therefore    undertook   to 
give  a  sermon  every  Sunday,  at  the  parochial  mass; 
and  in  this,  without  apprizing  his  hearers  of  his  in- 
tention, but,  on    the    contrary,   employing    rhetorical 
forms  calculated  to  conceal  his  design,  lest  he  should 
offend  their  vanity,  he  explained  to  them  the   cate- 
chism, following   even  the  order  of  the  lessons  con- 
tained in  this  elementary  book.     This  was  done  with 
so  much    grace    and   interest,  and    he  knew  so  well 
how  to   give  a  charm  to  these    primary  truths,    that 
all  classes  of  society  delighted  to  come  and  hear  him. 
The  learned  and  the  ignorant,  Protestants  and  Cath- 
olics, all  crowded  around  the  pulpit,  all  drank  in  his 
words  with    delight;   and  his   touching  and    eloquent 
preaching  was  everywhere   celebrated.     When    once 
he  found   himself  master   of  his    audience,  and  was 
sure  he  should  not  endanger   the   success  of  his  in- 
structions, he  revealed  to  them    his   innocent  secret. 
''  If  I  had  announced  to  you  at  the  outset,"    said  he 
to  them,  ^'  that  I  should  teach   the   catechism  every 


PREACHES  AT  TOULOUSE.  169 

Sunday,  you  would  have  considered  it  beneath  you 
to  attend,  thinking  it  suitable  only  to  children ;  now 
for  six  months  I  have  done  nothing  else,  and  these 
instructions  have  interested  you.  Learn,  then,  that 
the  catechism  is  a  book  for  old  persons  as  well  as  for 
children,  for  the  learned  as  well  as  for  the  ignorant. 
All  may  derive  instruction  from  it,  and  find  something 
in  it  to  admire  and  meditate  upon,  and  it  is  only  an 
absurd  prejudice  to  regard  the  catechism  with  disdain." 
The  Bishop  of  Montauban  continued  the  catechism, 
and  all  attended  upon  it,  with  the  same  eagerness 
and  the  same  desire  to  learn. 

The  fame  of  the  preaching,  as  well  as  of  the  vir- 
tues of  Bishop  Cheverus,  spread  through  the  neigh- 
bouring provinces ;  all  the  public  journals  were  loud 
in  his  commendation,  and  every  tongue  praised  him. 
The  Cardinal  de  Clermont-Tonnerre,  Archbishop  of 
Toulouse,  wished  to  become  acquainted  with  so  cele- 
brated a  prelate,  and  visited  him  at  Montauban.  The 
modesty,  the  simplicity,  and  the  amiable  manners  of 
Bishop  Cheverus  pleased  and  charmed  the  Cardinal. 
He  invited  him  to  come  and  visit  him  in  return,  and 
made  him  promise  to  preach  in  his  metropolitan  city, 
on  the  occasion  of  the  erection  of  a  Calvary.  Bishop 
Cheverus  accepted  the  invitation,  and,  having  preached 
according  to  his  promise,  produced  a  powerful  effect 
upon  the  whole  audience.  The  Cardinal,  especially, 
was  moved  even  to  tears  ;  and  such  was  his  emo- 
tion, that  he  requested  Bishop  Cheverus  to  give  his 
15 


170  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

benediction  to  the  people.  "  In  your  presence,  Mon- 
seigneur,"  replied  the  humble-minded  Bishop,  "it  is 
not  for  me  to  bless  your  people ;  but,  since  you  wish 
it,"  added  he,  falling  upon  his  knees  at  the  feet  of  the 
Cardinal,  "give  me  your  blessing,  and  I  will  then 
transmit  it  to  your  flock.''  The  Cardinal  did  so, 
shedding  tears  of  sensibility,  and  the  Bishop  of  Mon- 
tauban  blessed  the  whole  assembly  in  the  name  of 
his  Eminence. 

Preaching  was  not  the  principal  occupation  of 
Bishop  Cheverus.  To  traverse  his  diocese  in  every 
direction,  to  become  acquainted  with  its  pastors,  to  find 
out  its  wants,  to  observe  its  spirit,  and  to  dispense, 
through  the  rite  of  confirmation,  the  grace  of  which  a 
bishop  is  the  minister,  was  what  he  regarded  as  his  first 
duty  ;  and,  while  he  acquitted  himself  of  it  with  indefat- 
igable zeal,  it  may  also  be  said,  that  it  afforded  him  the 
sweetest  consolation ;  for,  wherever  he  w^ent,  he  was 
received  with  the  same  enthusiasm,  and  the  same 
hearty  welcome,  and  left,  at  parting,  the  same  regrets. 
One  day,  when  he  had  just  got  into  his  carriage  to 
depart  from  a  parish,  a  poor  woman  having  seized  and 
kissed  his  hand  at  the  moment  he  extended  it  through 
the  coach  door  to  give  his  parting  benediction,  he  was 
obliged  to  remain  more  than  an  hour,  to  afford  the 
same  gratification  to  all  the  inhabitants,  who  pressed 
around  him,  solicitous  for  the  same  happiness.  An 
attempt  was  made  to  remove  them.  "Let  them 
come/'  said  the  Bishop,  "  let  these  good  people  sat- 


GAINS  THE  AFFECTION   OF  THE   PROTESTANTS.       171 

isfy  at  leisure  their  faith  and  their  gratitude."  Even 
the  Protestants  manifested  on  every  occasion  their 
respect  and  attachment  to  him ;  they  emulated  the 
zeal  of  the  Catholics,  and  both  seemed  to  belong  to 
the  same  flock,  under  the  guidance  of  the  same  be- 
loved pastor.  "  There  are  no  longer  any  Protestants 
at  Montauban,"  said  a  deputy  of  that  city  to  one  of 
the  King's  ministers  ;  "  we  are  all  Bishop's  people" 
The  Bishop  himself  was  pleased  to  make  public 
these  friendly  dispositions  in  one  of  his  charges,  on 
his  return  from  a  visitation.  "  Everywhere,"  he  says, 
"as  in  our  episcopal  city,  our  brethren  of  a  different 
faith  have  manifested  a  tender  respect,  and  we  cannot 
but  hope  that  it  will  not  be  difficult  for  them  to  ac- 
knowledge as  their  bishop  him  whom  they  love  as 
their  friend."  Such  was  the  effect  produced  by  his 
gentle  charity ;  it  was  irresistible.  Kind  towards  all, 
he  was  especially  so  to  the  poor,  in  assisting  them; 
to  the  sick,  in  consoling  them ;  and  to  sinners,  in  bring- 
ing them  to  God.  If  he  heard  of  any  difference  in  a 
family  or  parish,  his  love  suggested  a  thousand  kind 
devices  to  effect  a  reconciliation.  We  might  cite 
many  instances  of  this  nature,  but  will  confine  our- 
selves to  a  single  one.  One  day  he  learned  that  the 
mayor  of  a  certain  city  was  at  variance  and  open  war 
with  his  curate.  He  went  immediately  to  see  him, 
and  said  to  him,  "  Sir,  I  liave  a  great  favor  to  ask 
of  you  ;  you  will  perhaps  think  me  indiscreet,  but  I 
expect  much  from  your  kindness."     The  mayor,  al- 


172  LIFE  OF  CARDL\AL  CHEVERUS. 

most  beside  himself  and  much  confused,  protested  that 
there  was  nothing  he  should  not  be  disposed  to  do  for 
a  prelate  so  revered.  ''Ah,  well,"  said  the  Bishop, 
throwing  himself  on  his  neck  and  embracing  him, 
"  the  favor  I  ask  of  you  is  to  carry  this  kiss  of  peace 
to  your  curate."  The  mayor  promised,  kept  his  word, 
and  a  reconciliation  took  place. 

But  that  which  raised  the  reputation  of  Bishop 
Cheverus  to  the  highest  point,  and  excited  in  all  hearts 
an  enthusiasm  of  which  those  only  can  conceive  w^ho 
were  witnesses  of  it,  was  the  charity  and  generous 
devotion  that  he  displayed  in  the  winter  of  1826. 
The  river  Tarn  having  at  that  time  overflowed  its 
banks,  and  risen  with  frightful  rapidity  thirty  feet 
above  its  ordinary  level,  had  inundated  the  two  prin- 
cipal suburbs  of  Montauban,  and  exposed  to  the 
greatest  danger  their  unfortunate  inhabitants.  When 
the  news  of  this  accident  first  reached  the  charitfible 
Bishop,  he  hastens  to  the  place,  directs  boats  to  be 
prepared  to  go  to  the  assistance  of  those  who  were  on 
the  point  of  perishing,  and  remove  them  from  their 
dwellings.  A  worthy  disciple  of  Fenelon,  who  said 
that  bishops,  too,  have  their  days  of  battle,  he  super- 
intends, encourages,  urges,  and  incites  the  workmen ; 
and  soon  all  the  sufferers  are  out  of  danger,  and  dis- 
posed of  in  a  place  of  safety.  But  what  is  to  be- 
come of  them  ?  The  greater  part  of  them  are  poor, 
without  a  shelter  and  without  food.  "  Well,  my 
friends,"  said   the   Bishop   to   them,  ''  the   episcopal 


HIS  BENEVOLENCE  DURING  AN  INUNDATION.  173 

palace  is  yours  ;  come  to  it,  all  of  you ;  I  will  divide 
with  you  my  last  morsel  of  bread."     And  so  indeed 
they  did.     The  episcopal  palace  was  transformed  in- 
to a  hospital ;  more  than  three  hundred  poor  people 
were  received  there,  and    distributed   in   its   various 
halls.     A  poor  woman  remained  at  the  door  of  the 
palace  ;  she  dared  not  enter  because  she  was  a  Prot- 
estant.    The  Bishop  heard  of  it,  and  ran  to  seek  her 
himself,  saying,  "  Come,  we  are  all  brethren,  espe- 
cially in  the    hour  of  misfortune ; "  and  carried    her 
into  one  of  the  halls  with  her  companions  in  misfor- 
tune.    During  the  whole    time    that   the    inundation 
lasted,  the  good  Bishop  kept  these  unfortunate  people 
in  his  palace,  and  took  care  of  them  with  the  tender- 
ness of  a  mother.     He  visited  them  many  times  each 
day,  consoled  them  with  affectionate   tenderness,  was 
careful  that  there  should  always  be  a  good  fire  in  each 
hall,   so   that  they  might  not  suffer   from  the   cold  ; 
fed  them  with  the  best  his  house  afforded,  sometimes 
serving   them   himself,  and    distributing  among   them 
wine  and  money  ;  and  when,  the  waters  having  sub- 
sided and  the  river  retired  to  its  channel,  they  were 
able  to  return  to  their  habitations,  he  opened  a  sub- 
scription for  their  benefit,  which  he  headed  himself, 
and  called  upon  the  wealthy  to  aid  the  good  work. 
His  own  example  had  spoken  powerfully  to  the  hearts 
of  all,  and  the  rich  responded  to  the  appeal.     A  con- 
siderable sum  was  deposited  in  his  hands,  which  he 
divided  among  the  sufferers  from  the  inundation,  ac- 
15* 


174  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

cording  to  their  several  necessities,  making  up  for  all 
their  calamities.  All  the  poor  people  returned  home, 
loading  with  benedictions  their  charitable  Bishop,  and 
unable  to  find  words  to  express  their  love  and  grati- 
tude. 

So  admirable  an  act  of  charity  was  soon  known  in 
all  parts  of  France ;  Charles  the  Tenth  heard  of  it, 
and  hastened  to  express  to  Bishop  Cheverus  how 
much  it  had  affected  him  ;  adding  to  this  letter  of 
congratulation  the  sum  of  five  thousand  francs,  [a 
thousand  dollars,]  to  indemnify  him,  at  least  in  part, 
for  the  expense  he  had  incurred  on  this  occasion. 
The  five  thousand  francs  were  no  sooner  received 
than  they  were  distributed  among  the  poor ;  the  Bish- 
op felt  himself  sufficiently  remunerated  by  the  hap- 
piness of  having  succoured  the  unfortunate.  The 
fame  that  this  occurrence  obtained  for  him  did  not 
make  him  proud  ;  and  it  is  affecting  to  observe  with 
what  modesty  he  speaks  of  himself,  a  few  days 
after. 

A  former  student  of  Louis-le-Grand,  hearinor  the 
name  of  Bishop  Cheverus  everywhere  lauded,  wished 
to  know  if  it  was  the  young  xA-bbe  of  that  name 
whom  he  had  known  at  college,  and  applied  for  in- 
formation to  the  Bishop  of  Montauban  himself  *'  I 
was  acquainted  at  Louis-le-Grand,"  he  wrote,  "with 
a  young  Abbe  bearing  your  name,  a  pensioner  of 
the  college  of  Mans,  as  modest  as  he  was  religious ; 
as  diligent  as  he  was  well-informed  ;   of  a  uniformly 


HIS   ZEAL   AT  THE   TIME   OF   THE   JUBILEE.  175 

mild  and  affable  character,  and  a  model  for  all  his 
companions.  Will  you  allow  me  to  ask,  Monsei- 
gneur,  if  this  young  Abbe  can  be  yourself?  " 
*'  Yes,"  replied  the  humble  Bishop,  "I  am  in  truth 
the  little  Abbe  Cheverus  of  Louis-le-Grand.  How 
happy  1  should  be  to  see  you  here,  and  thank  you 
for  your  kind  remembrance,  and  convince  you  that 
the  mitre,  which  has  been  forced,  as  it  were,  upon 
my  poor  head,  has  neither  turned  it,  nor  filled  it 
with  pride.  The  little  that  I  have  done  for  the  poor 
sufferers  from  the  inundation  has  been  much  exag- 
gerated. I  had  not  the  least  idea  that  it  would  make 
so  much  noise,  and  attract  the  attention,  and  obtain 
for  me  the  favors,  of  even  our  august  sovereign." 

The  important  epoch  of  the  Jubilee  arrived  soon 
after  the  event  of  which  we  have  been  speaking. 
This  afforded  Bishop  Cheverus  an  opportunity  to 
display  greater  zeal  than  ever,  and  to  appear  supe- 
rior even  to  himself.  During  all  this  sacred  sea- 
son, besides  the  customary  sermon  on  Sunday,  he 
preached  Wednesday  and  Friday  of  each  week,  had  a 
retreat  at  his  cathedral,  officiated  himself  at  all  its 
exercises,  and  gave  daily  instructions  at  them.  But, 
not  content  with  these  public  acts  of  devotion,  he 
had  private  interviews  with  sinners,  and  endeavoured 
to  gain  their  hearts  that  he  might  restore  them  to 
God.  Among  this  number  was  a  priest,  formerly  a 
monk,  who,  during  the  reign  of  revolutionary  terror, 
had,  in  contempt   of  his   engagements,  contracted   a 


176  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

sacrilegious  marriage.  Bishop  Cheverus  went  to  see 
him  several  times  ;  and,  like  the  father  of  the  Prod- 
igal, opened  to  him  the  arms  of  his  charity,  spoke 
to  him  with  gentleness  and  power,  and,  aided  by  that 
grace  which  he  invoked  in  fervent  prayer,  awoke 
such  deep  compunction  in  his  heart,  that  this  un- 
happy man,  having  himself  drawn  up  a  recantation 
of  his  errors  in  the  most  touching  language,  desired 
the  Bishop  to  read  it  in  the  church,  in  the  presence 
of  all  the  faithful.  '^Penetrated,"  he  says  in  it, 
"  with  deep  sorrow  for  my  offences,  and  the  occa- 
sion I  have  given  for  scandal,  I  supplicate  the  divine 
mercy,  through  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ  my  Sa- 
viour, to  accept  my  repentance.  I  wish  the  faithful 
to  know  that  I  would  publicly  own  my  transgressions, 
and  ask  forgiveness,  prostrating  myself  at  the  foot  of 
the  altar  in  their  presence,  if  my  state  of  infirmity 
would  permit.  Let  them  at  least  know,  (and  I 
humbly  implore  their  pity  and  their  prayers,)  let 
them  know  that  I  acknowledge,  with  shame  and  an- 
guish of  heart,  that  I  have,  by  a  vile  apostasy,  vio- 
lated my  sacred  vows  of  religion,  and  contracted  an 
alliance  which  that  holy  religion  reprobates  and  con- 
demns. Pardon,  my  God,  pardon  an  unhappy  priest, 
a  guilty  but  most  penitent  monk.  Pardon  me,  my 
brethren,  on  whom  I  have  brought  reproach  ;  pray 
for  the  poor  sinner."  This  recantation  was  handed 
to  the  Bishop  one  day,  when  he  was  to  preach  at 
the   cathedral   before    an   immense   multitude,  a  few 


MAKES  THE   JUBILEE    USEFUL  TO    THE   SOLDIERS.     177 

minutes  before  he  entered  the  pulpit.  He  was  so 
much  affected  by  it,  that  he  could  speak  of  nothing 
else,  and  took  for  his  text  these  words  from  Eccle- 
siasticus,  chap.  viii.  6 ;  "  iVe  despicias  hominem  aver- 
tentem  se  a  peccato  neque  improperes  ei:  Memento 
quoniam  omnes  in  correptione  sumus.  Despise  not 
the  man  who  turns  from  his  sin,  and  reproach  him 
not :  Remember  that  we  are  all  deserving  of  chastise- 
ment." From  a  text  so  appropriate  to  his  subject, 
he  proceeded  to  relate,  in  words  full  of  tenderness 
and  compassion  for  the  repentant  sinner,  the  conver- 
sion that  had  been  effected,  read  the  recantation, 
and  deduced  from  it  useful  reflections  upon  charity 
towards  sinners,  who  may  become  great  saints  ;  and 
upon  the  humility  of  the  righteous,  who,  if  they  do 
not  watch  over  themselves,  may  become  reprobate. 
He  hastened,  immediately  on  leaving  the  pulpit,  to 
go  and  embrace  this  returning  prodigal,  to  console, 
encourage,  and  sustain  him. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  pious  labors,  Bishop 
Cheverus  was  engaged  in  another  work  not  less  im- 
portant. The  soldiers  of  the  garrison  at  Montauban 
seldom  went  to  church,  and  the  Jubilee  was  likely 
to  pass  away  without  their  deriving  any  advantage  from 
it.  The  worthy  Bishop  undertook  to  give  them  a 
retreat,  and  for  several  days  addressed  to  them  most 
touching  discourses,  well  adapted  to  inspire  in  them 
the  love  and  practice  of  their  religious  duties.  The 
soldiers,    edified    by  his    zeal    and    touched    by    his 


178  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

preaching,  engaged  In  self-examination,  and  requested 
permission  to  receive  the  sacrament.  The  Bishop 
provided  them  with  confessors  without  delay,  and 
himself  confessed  those  who  wished  him  to  do  so. 
After  all  were  duly  prepared,  he  conducted  them  in 
person,  many  days  in  succession,  to  visit  the  dif- 
ferent churches,  to  obtain  the  advantages  of  the  Ju-* 
bilee.  It  was  an  affecting  sight,  which  the  inhab- 
itants of  Montauban  will  never  forget.  They  saw  all 
these  soldiers,  with  an  air  of  gravity  and  a  collected 
demeanor,  marching,  with  their  bishop  at  their  head^ 
with  prayers  on  their  lips,  induced  only  by  their  own 
hearts,  their  own  free  will ;  for  the  Bishop  had  taken 
care  that  authority  should  have  nothing  to  do  with 
this  step,  but  that  it  should  be  entirely  voluntary. 

While  Montauban  was  rejoicing  in  the  happiness 
of  possessing  so  worthy  a  bishop,  it  was  soon  to  be 
deprived  of  him,  by  an  event  which  brought  afflic- 
tion to  a  neighbouring  diocese.  On  the  11th  of  July, 
1826,  death  removed  from  the  love  and  veneration 
of  the  people  of  Bordeaux,  Monseigneur  d'Aviau  du 
Bois  de  Sanzai,  their  Archbishop,  of  most  holy  mem- 
ory. The  whole  city  and  all  the  diocese  were  in- 
consolable. Where  could  be  found  a  prelate  so 
perfect,  so  charitable,  so  devoted?  Who  could  re- 
pair this  immense  loss?  Such  was  the  general  cry 
that  resounded  from  Bordeaux  to  Paris ;  and  one 
reply  was  on  every  tongue,  designating  Bishop  Chev- 
erus  as  the  only  person  who  could  supply  the  place 


APPOINTED   ARCHBISHOP    OF  BORDEAUX,  179 

of  Monseigneur  d'Aviau.  The  King  was  not  slow 
to  listen  to  the  general  report,  and  confirm  the 
choice  announced  by  public  opinion.  On  the  30th 
of  July,  he  signed  the  order  which  nominated  the 
Bishop  of  Montauban  to  the  Metropolitan  See  of 
Bordeaux ;  and  the  minister  of  ecclesiastical  affairs, 
on  sending  it  to  him,  declared  that  the  thing  was 
irrevocably  done,  and  that  he  ought  not  even  think 
of  making  any  opposition  to  it  by  a  refusal.  '*  I 
can  easily  conceive,"  added  the  minister,  "  your  own 
anguish,  and  the  affliction  of  the  city  of  Montauban ; 
but  you  are  the  very  man,  and  the  King  has  judged 
it  necessary  to  require  this  sacrifice  of  the  diocese 
of  Montauban,  as  well  as  of  you." 

It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  the  grief  of 
Bishop  Cheverus  on  the  reception  of  this  news ;  it 
was  equalled  only  by  the  affliction  of  the  people  of 
his  diocese.  Both  parties  felt  real  consternation,  so 
much  the  greater,  as,  from  the  positive  style  of  the 
minister's  letter,  there  seemed  no  hope  of  success  in 
any  attempt  to  have  the  ordinance  revoked.  Nev- 
ertheless, as  in  great  calamities  one  wishes  to  try 
every  means,  even  such  as  offer  the  least  chance  of 
success.  Bishop  Cheverus  wrote  to  the  minister  to 
remonstrate  and  complain.  The  city  of  Montauban, 
though  it  had  httle  hope  left,  wrote  also  on  its  own 
behalf,  and  laid  before  the  throne  the  expression  of  its 
sincere  sorrow.  "  Although  we  rejoice,"  say  the  people 
of  Montauban  to  the  King,  ^'in  an  elevation  so  well 


180  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

merited,  and  in  the  signal  honor  decreed  to  the 
worthy  rival  of  Vincent  de  Paul  and  of  Fenelon,  yet 
we  cannot  withhold  the  expression  of  our  grief,  nor 
restrain  our  tears,  nor  stifle  our  groans,  especially 
when  we  know  that  the  affliction  of  our  holy  prelate 
in  leaving  us  is  equal  to  our  own  grief  in  losing  him. 
Has  Providence,  then,  granted  us  so  precious  a  bless- 
ing, only  to  deprive  us  of  it  at  ?he  moment  when  it 
had  become  essential  to  the  happiness  of  every  in- 
habitant of  this  diocese  ? "  To  this  address,  of  which 
we  have  cited  only  a  single  passage,  was  added  a 
letter  to  Her  Royal  Highness  the  Dauphiness,  be- 
seeching her  to  employ  her  influence  with  the  King, 
to  sustain  the  request  of  the  people  of  Montauban. 
They  also  appealed  to  Bishop  Cheverus  himself,  and 
entreated  him,  in  a  most  feeling  letter,  to  join  his 
solicitations  to  those  of  his  children.  "A  disconso- 
late family,"  say  they,  "throws  itself  on  your  com- 
passion, and,  with  hands  uplifted  to  Heaven,  conjures 
you  not  to  forsake  it,  nor,  by  your  departure,  to  aban- 
don it  to  grief  and  regret."  The  Bishop  had  already 
anticipated  their  request,  and  hastened  to  tell  them  so. 
"  I  wrote  yesterday,'  'he  said  to  the  minister,  "and 
entreated  his  Majesty  not  to  tear  me  from  my  flock.  If 
the  reply  is  favorable,  my  joy  and  gratitude  will  mani- 
fest how  much  I  love  my  people  ;  and  if  the  orders 
of  his  Majesty  should  be  peremptory,  my  obedience 
will  cost  me  many  tears  ;  but  the  example  of  the 
people  of  Montauban  would  teach  me,  if  need  were. 


HIS   REGRET   AT  LEAVING  MONTAUBAN.  181 

that  one  ought  to  obey  his  king  and  serve  him,  at 
the  sacrifice  of  what  he  holds  most  dear,  even  his 
own  hfe." 

All  these  entreaties  were  without  effect,  and  only- 
served  to  show  that  two  cities,  so  different  in  their  man- 
ners and  character  as  Boston  and  Montauban,  knew 
equally  well  how  to  appreciate  Bishop  Cheverus,  and 
the  misfortune  of  Ifesing  him.  The  answers  arrived 
from  Paris,  expressing  regret  at  the  impossibility  of 
yielding  to  so  many  solicitations  ;  and  nothing  remained 
but  resignation.  However  dejected  Bishop  Cheverus 
might  be,  he  did  not  cease  his  labors  till  the  moment  of 
his  departure;  and  hardly  a  day  passed  without  his 
preaching  or  engaging  in  some  pious  work.  Although 
he  had  done  so  much  .good  in  so  short  a  time,  confirmed 
more  than  forty  thousand  Catholics,  and  dispensed  so 
often  the  word  of  truth,  still  it  seemed  to  him  that  he 
had  not  done  enough.  The  moments  that  he  could 
spare  from  his  pious  labors  were  devoted  to  receiving 
visits  from  the  people  of  his  diocese,  who  flocked 
around  him  to  express  their  regret  and  to  seek  consola- 
tion from  him.  Alas  !  he  had  more  need  of  it.  The 
thought  of  his  approaching  departure  afflicted  him, 
and  all  the  regrets  that  were  expressed  to  him  served 
only  to  aggravate  his  distress.  A  touching  proof  of 
attachment  afforded  him  some  consolation  on  this 
trying  occasion.  The  Abbe  de  Trelissac,  his  grand- 
vicar,  who  had  resided  more  than  twenty  years  at 
Montauban,  where  he  had  property  and  a  great  many 
16 


182  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

friends,  valuing  above  every  thing  the  happiness  of 
living  with  such  a  bishop,  requested  as  a  favor  that 
he  might  follow  him  to  Bordeaux,  having  decided  to 
sell  all  his  property,  forsake  all  his  friends,  and  go 
even  to  Boston,  should  it  be  necessary,  rather  than 
be  separated  from  him.  So  well  did  Bishop  Chev- 
erus  know  how  to  render  himself  beloved,  and  so 
highly  was  he  esteemed  when  known.  Touched  by 
such  tender  devotion,  the  Bishop  accepted  his  offer 
with  gratitude,  and  his  only  thought  then  was  to 
escape  from  Montauban  as  soon  as  possible  ;  for  his 
sensibility  could  bear  no  more.  To  avoid  the  tears 
and  expressions  of  grief  of  his  dear  children,  he  de- 
parted in  the  night,  without  the  knowledge  of  the 
people,  sad  and  dejected  beyond  expression. 

Having  arrived  in  Paris,  he  could  not  forbear  ex- 
pressing his  complaints  and  his  grief  to  the  minister, 
who  was  obliged  to  excuse  himself  by  protesting,  that, 
if  he  had  required  of  him  so  great  a  sacrifice,  his 
conscience,  which  declared  that  this  was  the  only 
proper  choice  he  could  make,  had  forced  him  to  do 
so.  The  King,  Charles  the  Tenth,  received  him 
with  his  characteristic  grace  and  kindness ;  expressed 
his  great  esteem  and  affection  for  him  in  the  most 
flattering  terms ;  and  soon  after  made  him  a  Peer 
of  France,  a  distinction  the  more  marked,  as  no  one 
shared  with  him  the  honor  of  this  promotion.  To 
be  elevated  to  the  peerage  gave  his  benevolent  feel- 
ings  much   concern,  and  was   equally   trying   to   his 


HIS  FEELINGS  ON  BEING   MADE  A  PEER.  183 

humility.  He  could  not  endure  the  thought,  that  the 
poor  should  suffer  from  the  expenses  incurred  by  his 
journeys,  and  his  necessary  residence  in  Paris  during 
the  sessions  of  the  Chamber;  and,  besides,  he  had 
always  felt  averse  to  high  station,  or  whatever  would 
render  him  conspicuous.  M.  de  Villele,  then  min- 
ister of  finance,  to  whom  he  made  known  his  feel- 
ings on  the  subject,  was  obliged  to  set  his  mind  at 
rest  on  the  first  point,  by  promising  him  an  addition 
to  his  salary  sufficient  to  cover  these  expenses  ;  and 
to  encourage  him,  with  regard  to  the  second,  by 
convincing  him  that  his  elevation  was  the  wish  of 
France,  sanctioned  by  the  King, 

While  Bishop  Cheverus  was  at  Paris,  and  thus  raised 
to  dignity  in  spite  of  himself,  the  grand-vicars  of 
Bordeaux,  having  written  to  him  to  express  the  great 
joy  they  felt  on  account  of  his  nomination,  proposed 
to  him  at  the  same  time  to  demand  of  the  govern- 
ment the  old  archiepiscopal  residence,  a  magnificent 
palace  built  by  the  Prince  de  Rohan-Meriadec,  when 
he  was  archbishop  of  the  city,  and,  since  it  had 
been  diverted  from  its  original  destination,  used  only 
as  an  abode  for  the  princes,  when  they  came  to  Bor- 
deaux. The  humility  of  Bishop  Cheverus  rejected 
this  proposal  altogether.  "  It  does  not  become  a  poor 
bishop  like  myself,"  he  replied,  "to  dwell  in  so 
splendid  a  palace ;  the  humble  abode  which  has 
served  for  my  sainted  predecessor  will  be  too  good 
for   me;   and   besides,  I  should  be  sorry  to  deprive 


184  LIFE  OF    CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

our  beloved  princes  of  any  part  of  the  palace  that 
is  appropriated  to  them  when  they  come  to  see 
us/'* 

Sentiments  like  these  gave  the  people  of  Bordeaux 
some  idea  of  the  great  excellence  of  Monseigneur 
d'Aviau's  successor,  and  rendered  them  very  eager  for 
his  arrival.  He  was  proclaimed  at  Rome  on  the  2d  of 
October  of  the  same  year,  1 8'^6,  but  did  not  receive 
his  bulls  until  about  six  weeks  after,  when  he  started 
immediately  for  Mayenne,  intending  to  pass  only  a 
few  days  there.  He  could  not  deny  his  family  the 
pleasure  they  requested,  of  having  a  short  visit  from 
him  before  he  proceeded  to  take  possession  of  his 
new  See.  He  remained  there,  indeed,  only  a  few 
days,  but  in  this  short  time  he  preached  in  the  church 
of  Notre  Dame,  of  the  Visitation,  at  the  hospital,  and 
the  prisons ;  his  days  of  relaxation  were  days  of 
apostleship.     He  then  proceeded  to  Mans,  where  he 

*I  think  no  reader  will  perceive  in  this  letter  any  thing 
but  an  instance  of  the  modesty  and  delicacy  of  Bishop  Chev- 
erus,  entirely  foreign  to  the  question  of  property  which  has 
been  debated  recently,  with  such  powerful  reasons  on  the 
one  side,  and  very  inconclusive  arguments  on  the  other.  (See 
the  Treatise  on  the  Proprietorship  of  Ecclesiastical  Estates, 
by  M.  Affre.)  Besides,  the  archiepiscopal  palace  of  Bor- 
deaux, since  the  revolution  of  1793,  had  never  been  restored 
to  an  ecclesiastical  use  ;  consequently,  the  case  cannot  be 
compared  to  those  of  palaces  restored  by  the  government, 
and  occupied  by  the  incumbents. 


PREACHES  AN   EXTEMPORE  DISCOURSE  AT   MANS.      185 

received  the  pallium*  froni  the  hands  of  the  bishop 
of  that  city,  in  the  chapel  of  the  great  seminary, 
after  an  exhortation  which  he  addressed  to  the  stu- 
dents of  that  establishment  upon  apostoHcal  zeal. 

The  evening  after  this  ceremony,  he  was  invited 
to  preach  in  the  cathedral,  at  a  missionary  service 
that  was  to  be  held  there ;  but  having  a  violent  cold 
that  affected  his  voice,  and  a  severe  cough  that  was 
very  troublesome  to  him,  he  declined,  and  promised 
merely  to  be  present  at  the  exercise.  Notwithstand- 
ing this  refusal,  as  soon  as  he  appeared  in  the  church, 
the  missionary  who  was  then  in  the  pulpit,  seized 
with  the  desire  of  securing  to  his  audience  a  few 
words  from  the  lips  which  had  reconciled  so  many 
sinners  to  virtue,  announced  to  the  assembly  that  the 
Archbishop  of  Bordeaux  had  something  to  say  to 
them,  and  that  he  was  most  happy  to  yield  the  pul- 
pit to  him.  The  Archbishop,  surprised  at  an  annun- 
ciation so  unexpected,  hesitated  a  moment ;  but  soon 
that  courage  which  triumphs  over  the  most  severe 
indisposition  was  aroused  in  the  heart  of  the  veteran 
missionary ;  he  went  into  the  pulpit,  and  produced  an 
effect  the  more  thrilling  on  account  of  his  enfeebled 
voice,  which  gave  greater  interest  to  his  words,  and 
penetrated  all  hearts  by  evincing  such  pious  zeal. 

The  next  day  he  set  off  for  Bordeaux,  and  arrived 

*  The  name  given  to  a  decoration  which  the  Pope  sends 
to  all  the  archbishops,  and  which  must  be  conferred  on  them 
by  a  prelate. 

16* 


186  LIFE    OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

there  on  the  13th  of  December.     At   the   entrance 
of*  the  city,  he  found  the   Metropohtan  Chapter  and 
a  large  number  of  the  clergy  awaiting  his  arrival.     He 
was  conducted    by  them  in  procession  to  the  cathe- 
dral,   and,   on    his  way,  had    an    opportunity  to  ob- 
serve that   his   reputation   alone    had   already  gained 
him  all  hearts ;  every  face  appeared  radiant  with  joy ; 
all  seemed  to  felicitate   themselves  on  having  found, 
what  they  had  believed  to  be  irrecoverably  lost,  the 
goodness,  the   mildness,  the   charity  of  Monseigneur 
d'Aviau.     "How  good  he  looks!"    they  exclaimed. 
"  How  amiable  he  seems  !     Long  life  to  Monseigneur ! 
Blessings  on  the  father  of  the    poor!"     At  the   en- 
trance of  the  cathedral,  the  first  grand- vicar,  M.  Bar- 
res,  an  ecclesiastic  of  remarkable  talents  and  a  good- 
ness  of  heart   still    more    remarkable,  made    him   a 
complimentary   address  in    the    name  of  the   clergy. 
The   Archbishop,  by  his    feeling   and    fervent   reply, 
affected  even  to  tears  all  who  were  present,  commu- 
nicating to  their   hearts   tlie  emotion  he  felt,  on  be- 
holding this  church,  still  moist  with  the  tears  shed  for 
his  sainted  predecessor ;   and  commented  with  ability 
on  these  words  of  the  fourth  council  of  Carthage,  which 
briefly  state  the  duties  of  a  bishop  :    "In  the  church, 
or  in  the  ecclesiastical  government,  the  bishop  should 
be  superior  to  all  his  priests  ;  in  the  house  he  should 
be   their    brother:    Episcopus    in    ecclesid   suhlimior 
sedeat,   intra  domum  vero  collegam  se  presbyierorum 
esse  cognoscatJ^     Authority  and  firmness  in  govern- 


ADDRESSES    TO   THE  AUTHORITIES   OP   BORDEAUX.    187 

ment,  but  friendship  and  cordiality  in  private  rela- 
tions. "I  shall  love  you,"  he  said  to  his  priests, 
at  the  close  of  his  remarks  ;  "  give  me  also  your  love  ; 
my  heart  needs  to  have  you  for  friends."  After  the 
ceremony,  he  received  at  the  archiepiscopal  palace 
all  the  civil,  military,  and  judicial  authorities,  and 
addressed  each  of  them  with  such  perfect  grace,  such 
wonderful  appropriateness,  and  such  touching  benev- 
olence, that  all  went  away  enchanted.  His  amiable 
sagacity  enabled  him  to  detect  the  point  of  contact, 
the  bond  of  relationship  and  union,  between  the  clergy 
and  each  rank  in  the  state.  Now  he  found  it  in  the 
similarity  of  their  functions  ;  as  when  he  said  to  the 
judges :  "  You  pass  sentence  in  the  name  of  the  God 
of  justice,  we,  in  the  name  of  the  God  of  mercy  ; 
thus  we  are  fellow-laborers  ;  we  should  sustain  and 
love  each  other  as  such.  Religion  and  justice  are 
sisters,  who  ought  never  to  be  disunited."  Again  he 
perceived  this  connecting  link  in  reciprocal  services, 
as  when  he  said  to  the  tribunal  of  commerce,  "  Re- 
ligion owes  much  to  commerce ;  for  commerce  has 
carried  her  missionaries  into  distant  regions ;  has 
borne  me  to  America,  and  brought  me  back  to  Eu- 
rope. But  commerce  owes  still  more  to  religion, 
since  it  is  she  that  preserves  justice  and  good  faith 
in  contracts,  and  prevents  frauds  or  makes  reparation 
for  them.  Thus  mutual  gratitude  should  render  us 
all  friends,  and  make  us  one  family  of  brothers." 
Such  gracious  words,  accompanied  with  amiable  man- 


188  LIFE   OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

ners  and  engaging  kindness,  excited  enthusiasm  and 
attachment.  It  was  a  unanimous  concert  of  praise, 
applause,  and  honorable  approbation;  yet,  in  the  midst 
of  all  this,  the  good  Archbishop  was  far  from  being 
elated  with  pride.  "  You  see  how  I  am  honored 
here  below,"  said  he  to  one  of  his  friends ;  "  I  very- 
much  fear  that  God  may  one  day  say  to  me,  Thou 
hast  received  thy  recompense  in  this  world." 

One  thing  engaged  his  thoughts  more  than  all 
these  praises;  viz.  what  mode  he  should  adopt,  of 
governing  the  large  diocese  confided  to  his  care. 
He  laid  down  for  himself,  at  the  outset,  three  rules 
of  conduct ;  the  first  was  to  be  kind  and  amiable  to 
all,  that  he  might  conciliate  their  affections ;  the  sec- 
ond, to  make  no  changes  in  any  thing  which  his 
sainted  predecessor  had  done  ;  and  the  third,  not  to 
decide  upon  any  thing,  until  he  was  well  acquainted 
with  persons,  things,  and  places. 

To  be  kind  and  amiable  towards  all,  would  seem 
to  be  following  only  the  dictates  of  his  naturally  be- 
nevolent heart.  Nevertheless  any  one  would  be 
greatly  mistaken,  who  should  suppose  that  this  un- 
failing kindness  of  heart  never  cost  him  any  effort. 
God  alone  knows  to  what  violence  his  feelings  were 
often  subjected ;  sometimes  in  suppressing  inward  re- 
pugnance or  dislike,  without  permitting  any  outward 
manifestation  of  what  was  passing  in  his  mind  to  ap- 
pear ;  and  sometimes  in  submitting  to  continual  inter- 
ruption in  the  midst  of  his  multiplied  occupations,  and 


HIS    UNIVERSAL  BENEVOLENCE.  189 

giving  at  all  times  the  same  welcome,  however  unsea- 
sonable or  inconvenient  the  visit  might  be.     "  If  char- 
ity," said  he,  '*  were  extended  only  to  persons  whona 
we  like,  or  exercised  only  at  those  times  when  we 
feel  ourselves  inclined  to  be  sociable,  it  would  be  with- 
out any  merit."     Hence  it  happened,  that  those,  even 
of  whom  he   had   most  reason  to  complain,  whom  he 
knew  to  have  censured   his  conduct,  or  expressed  un- 
friendly sentiments  respecting  him,  met  with  the  same 
kind  reception  as  his  best  friends.     His  charity  drew  a 
veil  over  all  wrongs,  and  he  seemed  unconscious  of 
them.     And   hence,  he  was  always   found    ready  to 
oblige,  always  disposed  to  do  a  kindness  to  every  one. 
Sometimes,  it  is  true,  he  appeared  sad,  dejected,  and 
silent,  because  his  good  and  sensitive  heart,  compas- 
sionating the  miseries  of  all,  was  oppressed  by  some 
unpleasant  news,  or  the  dread  of  some  unhappy  event. 
At  such  times,  those  who  were  not  well  acquainted 
with  him  might  mistake  his  manner  of  meeting  them 
for  coldness ;  but,  if  they  had  any  service  to  ask  of 
him,  that  it  was   in  his  power  to   render,  or  if  they 
poured  out  their  hearts  in  confidence  to  him,  and  re- 
quested his  counsel,  they  immediately  recognised  in 
him  the  tender  father,  the  kind  friend,  and  the  charita- 
ble pastor;  they  found  him  eager  to  oblige  them,  and 
every  word  spoke  the  tenderness  of  his  heart.     Such 
was  his  kindness  to  all  who  came  to  see  him,  priests 
or    laymen,    members    of    his    diocese    or   strangers, 
that  all  were  invited  to  his  table  without  distinction, 


190  LIFE   OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

with  a  courtesy  which  testified  the  pleasure  he  should 
feel  in  their  acceptance,  and  at  the  same  time  with  an 
ease,  which  left  those  who  had  any  reason  for  refusing 
perfectly  at  liberty.  He  was  the  father  of  a  family, 
who  delighted  in  seeing  his  children,  but  did  not  wish 
to  put  them  under  any  restraint. 

Such  goodness  was  well  calculated  to  secure  to 
Archbishop  Cheverus  the  affections  of  every  one  ;  and 
his  profound  respect  for  whatever  Monseigneur  d'Aviau 
had  done  was  another  claim  on  their  regard.  Very 
different  from  those  restless  and  self-confident  spirits, 
who,  finding  themselves  at  the  head  of  affairs,  endeav- 
our to  change  every  thing,  to  bring  all  over  to  their 
own  opinions,  and  to  dispose  every  thing  according  to 
their  own  views,  he  was  religiously  careful  to  preserve 
that  which  already  existed,  to  ascertain  what  had 
been  practised  before  him,  and  to  pursue  the  same 
course  ;  he  did  not  disturb  any  thing  that  was  estab- 
lished, nor  change  any  regulation  that  had  been  made. 
"I  am  the  successor  of  a  saint,"  he  often  said;  "I 
respect  whatever  he  has  done ;  each  act  of  his  is  in 
my  view  a  sacred  ark,  which  I  would  not  touch,  even 
with  the  tip  of  my  finger."  "  Each  day,"  said  he,  in 
one  of  his  charges,  "  we  pray  the  Lord  to  preserve, 
through  our  ministry,  all  that  our  excellent  and  sainted 
predecessor  has  done  in  the  midst  of  you.  We  es- 
teem ourselves  happy,  when  we  feel  assured  that  we 
are  doing  what  he  would  have  done  in  Hke  circum- 
stances, and  that  we  speak  to  you  as  he  would  have 


HIS  HIGH   OPINION   OF  MONSEIGNEUR  D'AVIAU.        191 

Spoken."  Sentiments  and  conduct  like  these,  could 
not  fail  to  please  the  people  of  Bordeaux,  by  whom 
the  memory  of  Monseigneur  d'Aviau  was  so  much 
cherished  and  venerated.  But  it  was  not  with  a  view 
to  please,  that  Archbishop  Cheverus  spoke  thus.  It 
was  from  a  sentiment  of  profound  humility  in  thinking 
of  himself,  and  from  his  veneration  for  the  memory 
of  Monseigneur  d'Aviau.  In  his  own  estimation  he 
was  so  far  below  his  sainted  predecessor,  that  he  could 
not  endure  to  have  any  comparison  made  between 
them,  either  in  private  conversation  or  public  discourse, 
and  regarded  any  parallel  of  this  nature  as  injurious  to 
himself.  He  carried  this  so  far,  that,  one  day,  while 
presiding  at  a  solemn  distribution  of  prizes,  he  sud- 
denly interrupted  the  speaker,  at  the  first  words  of 
this  kind  of  praise  which  was  so  offensive  to  him, 
and  pronounced,  in  an  agitated  and  sorrowful  tone  of 
voice,  these  remarkable  words  :  "  To  draw  a  parallel 
between  me  and  my  sainted  predecessor  is  to  in- 
sult me,  because  it  is  setting  my  incapacity  in  the 
strongest  light  ;  I  will  not  suffer  such  an  outrage  in 
public ;  and  I  am  determined  that  my  dignity  shall 
be  respected."  From  that  time  it  was  well  understood 
throughout  the  diocese,  that  all  such  comparison  was 
to  be  strictly  avoided  before  the  Archbishop,  and  con- 
fined to  each  one's  own  thoughts.  He  discoursed  but 
too  much  with  himself  of  his  predecessor ;  the  recollec- 
tion of  whom  filled  him  with  fear  and  anxiety,  and  ren- 
dered his  new  See  unpleasant  to  him.     He  sighed  for 


192  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

Montauban,  he  sighed  for  Boston,  and  often  said,  in 
conversation  with  his  familiar  friends,  "  If  God  had 
served  me  as  he  did  Lot's  wife,  I  should  long  ago 
have  been  changed  into  a  pillar  of  salt !  for  I  am 
always  looking  back  with  regret." 

The  exalted  idea  he  entertained  of  the  virtues  of 
Monseigneur  d'Aviau  had  taken  such  possession  of 
his  mind,  that,  on  the  11th  of  July,  1827,  just  as 
the  anniversary  service  for  that  sainted  prelate  was 
ended,  being  informed  that  the  whole  assembly  ex- 
pected a  funeral  eulogium,  he  had  only  to  collect  his 
thoughts  for  a  few  moments  at  the  foot  of  the  altar,  and 
then  went  into  the  pulpit,  and  pronounced  a  most  af- 
fecting and  appropriate  funeral  oration,  which  excited 
universal  admiration  by  the  astonishing  talent  it  dis- 
played for  extemporaneous  speaking.  He  took  for  his 
text  these  words  spoken  by  the  Holy  Spirit  concerning 
Moses:  "  Dilectus  Deo  et  hominibus,  cujus  memoria  in 
henedictioiie  est ;  similem  ilium  fecit  in  gloria  sancto- 
rum. Beloved  of  God  and  men,  his  memory  is 
blessed,  and  God  has  made  him  a  partaker  of  the 
glory  of  the  saints."  And  having  divided  his  dis- 
course in  conformity  with  these  words,  he  showed, 
1st,  What  Monseigneur  d'Aviau  had  been  in  relation  to 
God  ;  and  here  he  exhibited  his  tender  piety,  which 
made  him  appear  at  the  altar  like  an  angel,  et  intu- 
entes  eum  omnes,  viderunt  faciem  ejus  tanquam  fa- 
ciem  angeli ;  which  also  made  him  a  man  of  prayer, 
of  faith,  and  of   spirituality  :     2ndly,  What   he   had 


VISITS    HIS   DIOCESE.  193 

been  in  relation  to  his  fellow-men  ;  and  here  he  dwelt 
on  his  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  his  charity  to  the 
poor,  and  his  kindness  to  all. 

Still,  Archbishop  Cheverus  was  not  discouraged  by 
the  disparity  which  his  humility  perceived  between  his 
sainted  predecessor  and  himself;  it  served  only  as  a 
new  motive  to  him  to  labor  with  activity  in  the  gov- 
ernment of  his  diocese.  Before  determining  upon  or 
ordaining  any  thing,  he  wished  to  take  time  to  observe, 
to  understand,  and  to  reflect ;  for  he  well  knew  that  an 
evil  is  often  made  worse  by  a  precipitate  attempt  at 
reform  ;  that  it  is  even  dangerous  to  meddle  with  what 
is  good,  in  order  to  make  it  better;  and  that,  at  all 
events,  in  order  to  proceed  wisely,  one  ought  to  be 
perfectly  acquainted  with  the  condition  of  things,  and 
the  disposition  of  men's  minds. 

His  first  occupation,  the  principal  object  of  his 
thoughts,  at  the  commencement  of  his  labors,  was, 
therefore,  to  become  acquainted  with  his  diocese,  his 
clergy,  the  most  influential  men,  and  the  character  of 
the  different  sorts  of  people,  whether  in  the  cities  or 
in  the  country.  The  numerous  visits  he  received 
every  day  at  the  archiepiscopal  palace  afforded  him 
many  opportunities  of  doing  this,  and  he  did  not  fail  to 
profit  by  them.  But  he  did  not  confine  himself  to  these ; 
he  wished  to  see  for  himself,  and  visited  in  succession 
all  the  parishes  and  religious  establishments  in  the  city 
of  Bordeaux;  and,  at  the  same  time  that  he  was  widely 
distributing  words  of  grace  and  benediction,  he  listened 
17 


194  LIFE  OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

to  complaints  and  confidential  communications,  and 
was  observant  of  men,  places,  and  things.  After  this, 
he  visited  the  various  parts  of  the  diocese ;  not  only 
the  principal  cities,  as  Blaye,  Libourne,  Bazas,  Les- 
parre,  and  La  Reole,  but  a  great  number  of  country 
parishes,  informing  himself  of  their  wants,  and  of  the 
character  of  the  people  in  each  ;  becoming  acquainted 
with  his  priests,  most  of  whom  he  saw  at  the  different 
meetings  that  were  held  on  occasion  of  his  visits ; 
and  observing  every  thing  with  his  penetrating  glance, 
his  accurate  and  practised  judgment,  without  permit- 
ting his  object  to  be  discovered.  A  conversation,  a 
word,  would  often  reveal  to  him  the  man. 

In  these  visits  he  was  not  satisfied  merely  to  ac- 
quaint himself  with  his  diocese,  he  did  all  the  good 
he  could  at  the  same  time  ;  preached  in  each  parish, 
upon  their  regularities  and  vices  which  the  curate  of 
the  place  pointed  out  to  him  ;  reconciled  differences, 
and  everywhere  proclaimed  his  favorite  sentiment,  by 
which  he  would  fain  have  made  all  men  one  family,  of 
one  heart,  and  one  mind.  My  brethren,  my  beloved, 
lei  us  love  one  another.  He  gave,  in  his  own  per- 
son, the  best  example  of  what  he  preached  ;  as  may 
be  seen  by  the  following  circumstance. 

One  day,  having  learned  that  a  curate  was  at  open 
variance  with  his  parish,  he  proceeded  to  the  place 
to  endeavour  to  unite  their  hearts  and  restore  peace. 
To  conduct  otherwise  irreproachable,  and  a  zeal 
too  ardent  rather   than  too  cold,  this  curate  united 


RECONCILES   A  CURATE  WITH  HIS   PARISHIONERS.     195 

a  character  of  extreme  impetuosity,  which  sometimes 
carried  him  beyond  the  bounds  of  prudence,  and  had 
■been  the  sole  cause  of  the  division.  Too  rigid  an  ob* 
server  of  ancient  rules  made  for  an  earlier  period,  he 
had  just  exasperated  a  family,  by  refusing  to  admit  as 
god-mother  a  lady  who  had  not  received  the  sacra- 
ment at  Easter ;  and  the  tenacious  parents  preferred 
that  their  child  should  remain  unbaptized,  rather  than 
present  another  god-mother.  The  Archbishop,  arriv- 
ing in  the  mean  time,  attempted  to  persuade  the  curate 
to  admit  the  woman,  and,  upon  his  refusing,  directed 
one  of  the  priests  who  accompanied  him  to  perform 
the  baptism,  in  order  to  secure  the  salvation  of  the 
child,  and  not  let  it  be  a  victim  to  the  ill-will  of  its 
parents.  At  this,  the  curate  flew  into  a  passion,  and, 
yielding  to  the  violence  of  his  temper,  so  far  forgot 
himself  as  to  address  the  most  abusive  language  to 
his  Archbishop.  To  this  tempest  the  latter  opposed 
only  silence,  calmness,  and  gentleness  ;  and,  proceeding 
to  the  church  to  commence  the  service,  he  went  into 
the  pulpit,  and  invited  all  the  parishioners  to  be  at 
peace  and  amity  with  their  curate,  of  whom  he  spoke 
in  the  highest  terms,  enumerating  all  the  good  qualities 
which  he  really  possessed.  "  You  have,"  he  then 
added,  "  only  one  complaint  to  make  against  your 
venerable  pastor ;  he  has,  you  say,  a  violent  and  pas- 
sionate temper.  Ah !  my  brethren,  who  has  not  his 
defects  ?  If  I  should  be  among  you  twenty-four 
hours,  you  would    perhaps   discover  so  many  in  me 


196  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

that  you  could  not  endure  me.  You  find  but  one  in 
your  curate  ;  pardon,  then,  this  defect,  in  consideration 
of  all  his  virtues.  No  society  can  exist,  except  by  mu- 
tual forbearance  towards  each  other's  faults."  After 
this  address,  the  Archbishop,  descending  from  the  pul- 
pit, went  to  the  sacristy,  where  he  found  the  curate 
ashamed  and  embarrassed,  and  embraced  him  with 
tenderness  and  hearty  affection.  "  My  dear  curate, 
I  love  you ;  I  am  your  devoted  friend,"  he  said  to 
him;  *' in  what  manner  do  you  wish  that  we  should 
commence  the  ceremony  ? "  endeavouring  by  these 
words  to  divert  his  thoughts  from  the  recollection  of 
his  fault,  and  to  show  his  indulgence  for  every  thing 
not  inconsistent  with  his  duty.  The  ceremony  being 
finished,  he  wished  to  have  a  private  interview  with 
such  of  the  parishioners  as  were  most  offended  with 
their  pastor,  and  spoke  to  them  with  so  much  kindness, 
that  they  could  refuse  him  nothing  ;  a  reconciliation 
took  place,  the  kiss  of  peace  was  mutually  exchang- 
ed, all  sat  down  together  at  the  same  table,  and  all 
hearts  were  united  in  that  of  the  Archbishop.  Thus 
did  he  make  charity  everywhere  prevail,  and  taught  by 
his  example,  that,  as  the  Apostle  says,  "  It  suffereth 
long  and  is  kind,  is  not  easily  provoked,  but  forgiveth 
and  endureth  all  things." 

The  first  result  of  his  pastoral  visits,  and  of  the 
knowledge  he  gained  of  his  diocese,  was  also  a  plan 
of  benevolence.  Two  great  evils  had  struck  him  for- 
cibly in  his  apostolical  journeys.     The  first  was  the 


ESTABLISHES  A  FUND  FOR  AGED  OR  INFIRM  PRIESTS.  19? 

painful  situation  of  certain  priests,  who,  having  given 
every  thing  to  the  poor  as  fast  as  they  received  it,  had 
become  poor  themselves,  in  consequence  of  long  and 
expensive    illness   or   some    unforeseen   event.     The 
second    was   the   sad   condition   of   certain    parishes, 
which  were  without  instruction,  without   public  wor- 
ship, and  almost  without  a  ministry,  since  the  pastors, 
from  age  or  infirmity,  could  not  perform  their  functions ; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  to  deprive  them  of  their  places, 
which  were  their  only  means  of  support,  would  be  to 
reduce  them  to  the  most  deplorable  condition,  would 
be  a  species  of  cruelty.     The  Archbishop   felt  these 
two  great  evils,  as  one   possessed  of  a  heart  so  kind 
must  necessarily  do  ;  and  he  then  conceived  the  de- 
sign of  remedying  them,  whatever  it  might  cost.     The 
expedient   which  his  benevolence   suggested    was   to 
propose  to  his  assembled  clergy  an  annual  subscription, 
designed  to  create  a  common  fund,  which  should  be 
employed,  either  in  furnishing  a  pension,  on  their  re- 
tirement from  office,  to  priests  whom  age  or  infirmity 
had  rendered  incapable   of  their  parochial  duties,  or 
in  giving  temporary  assistance  to  those  whom  the  ex- 
penses of  long  illness,  or  some  unexpected   accident, 
had  reduced  to    distress    and    embarrassment.      This 
proposition  was  received  with  eagerness  and  gratitude  ; 
supported  as  it  was,  with  heartfelt  eloquence,  by  the 
most  touching  remarks  upon  that  charity,  which  ought 
to  interest  the  whole  body  of  the  clergy  in  the  welfare 
of  each  of  its  members ;  urged,  moreover,  by  all  the 
17* 


198  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

motives,  which  his  sagacity  enabled  him  to  suggest,  of 
personal  advantage  to  each  subscriber,  who  would  find 
in  this  institution  a  security  for  the  future.  The  sub- 
scription was  opened  ;  he,  as  the  father  of  his  clergy, 
headed  it  himself,  subscribed  a  thousand  francs  [two 
hundred  dollars]  annually ;  and,  in  order  that  his  sub- 
scription might  not  end  with  his  life,  he  invested  in  the 
public  funds  a  capital  of  twenty  thousand  francs,  [four 
thousand  dollars,]  in  the  name  of  the  pension  fund, 
which  secured  in  perpetuity  the  annual  amount  of  his 
first  subscription.  He  was  happy  in  the  thought,  that  he 
should  not  only  be  the  support  and  benefactor  of  his 
clergy  during  his  life,  but  that  also,  after  his  death,  his 
charity  would  follow  his  priests  from  age  to  age,  and 
that  he  should  live  for  them  in  his  benefits,  even  when 
he  should  be  no  more.  He  did  not  however  limit 
himself  to  this.  All  the  occasional  donations  of  which 
he  could  dispose,  without  prejudice  to  his  customary 
charities,  were  placed  in  this  fund  ;  he  put  into  it  at 
one  time  ten  thousand  francs,  which  a  charitable  per- 
son had  placed  at  his  disposal ;  and  he  directed  the 
executor  of  his  will  to  add  three  thousand  francs 
more,  if  he  left  any  property  at  his  death.  This  was 
faithfully  performed.  To  assist  his  priests  in  their 
need  was  his  chosen  work.  "  I  do  not  know,"  said 
he,  "  any  charity  better  bestowed  than  that  which 
affords  assistance  to  a  priest  who  has  grown  gray  in  the 
labors  of  the  ministry,  and  who  is  poor  because  he  has 
been  charitable."     Thus  all  the  clergy  of  Bordeaux 


PUBLISHES   A   NEW  EDITION  OF   THE   RITUAL.         199 

recollect,  and  will  long  remember,  with  what  tender 
interest,  with  what  warmth  of  feeling,  he  recommend- 
ed, every  year,  in  the  ecclesiastical  retreats,  this  good 
work,  of  which  he  had  the  honor  of  being  as  it  were 
the  founder  in  France,  and  which  so  many  dioceses 
have  since  imitated. 

Having  made  sure  of  this  fund,  he  drew  up  judicious 
regulations  in  regard  to  it,  and  decreed,  1st.  That  each 
rank  of  the  clergy  should  have  a  representative  of  its 
interests,  in  the  commission  intrusted  with  the  distribu- 
tion of  the  fund ;  and  that  thus,  his  first  grand-vicar 
being  president,  this  commission  should  consist  of  a 
canon,  a  nominal  curate,  an  officiating  curate,  and  a  vi- 
car. 2ndly.  That  a  minute  account  of  receipts  and  ex- 
penditures should  be  accurately  made  out  every  year, 
and  sent  to  each  subscriber  ;  that  all  might  be  able  to 
judge  of  the  good  use  made  of  the  fund,  of  the  excel- 
lence of  the  institution,  and  rejoice  in  the  comfort  af- 
forded to  their  seniors  in  the  ministry,  or  to  their  sick 
brethren. 

But  many  other  things  besides  the  wants  of  the 
clergy  had  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Archbishop 
in  his  visitation.  Among  others,  he  remarked  a  great 
difference  in  the  usages  and  observances  of  different 
parts  of  the  diocese,  arising  either  from  the  fact  that 
many  curates  had  neither  the  statutes  nor  the  ritual  of 
the  diocese,  the  edition  of  which  was  exhausted ;  or 
from  the  circumstance,  that,  these  two  ecclesiastical 
codes  prescribing  things  no  longer  in  conformity  with 
the  manners  and  circumstances  of  the  times,  each  in- 


'200  I-IFE   OF   CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

dividual  had  laid  down  his  own  rule  of  conduct.    This 
difficulty  he  remedied  in  part  by  preparing  a  new  ritu- 
al, in  which  his  accustomed  prudence  and  caution  are 
observable.     He  respected,  to  such  a  degree  as  not  to 
change  a  single  word,  every  thing  in  the  old  ritual  which 
was  compatible  with  the  existing  state  of  society,  and 
added  as  little  as  possible ;  because  his  principle  was, 
that,  in  respect  to  laws,  the  fewer  one  makes  the  better  ; 
and  he  quoted  on  this  subject  the  saying  of  a  member 
of  a  legislative  assembly,  who,  at  the  close  of  a  meeting 
at  which  all  the  discussions  had  ended  in  suppressing 
a  proposed  law,  said  to  his  friends,  "  We  have  per- 
formed to-day  our  master-stroke  ;  we  have  abstained." 
He  confined  himself,  therefore,  to  laying  down  rules 
of  conduct  for  his  priests,  on  occasions  of  most  ordina- 
ry  occurrence ;    for   example,  respecting  god-fathers 
and  god-mothers ;  prohibiting  any  from  being  admitted 
to  this  office  w^hose  marriage  had  not  been   blessed 
in  the  presence  of  the  church,  or  who  should  not  pro- 
fess adherence  to  the  Catholic  church,  and  belief  of 
all  that  it  teaches.     He  finished  by  a  new  exhortation, 
which    he  charged   his  curates  to  read  frequently  to 
their  parishioners,  and  which,  in  a  clear  and  concise 
summary,  recalled  to  their  minds  all  the  truths  which 
a  Christian  ought  to  believe,  all  the  precepts  he  should 
observe,  all  the  sacraments  he  should  receive,  and  the 
prayers  he  should  say. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Archbishop  did  not  lose  sight 
of  the  many  parishes  that  were  without  pastors,  nor 


HIS  INTEREST  IN  HIS  SEMINARIES.  201 

of  the  many  pastors  who  were  in  want  of  assistants, 
and  who  must  either  permit  souls  to  suffer,  or,  if  they 
should  exert  themselves  to  satisfy  all  the  demands 
upon  them,  must  in  a  little  time  become  exhausted. 
This  was  a  constant  subject  of  his  solicitude ;  and 
he  felt  that  his  only  resource,  to  remedy  the  evil,  was 
in  his  seminaries.  Thus  he  spared  no  effort  to  secure 
the  prosperity  of  these  establishments,  and  promote 
their  progress.  He  went  several  times  a  year  to 
visit  his  lower  seminary,  though  it  was  situated,  for 
a  long  time,  twelve  leagues  from  Bordeaux.  At  each 
visit,  he  addressed  to  the  students  wise  counsels  and 
words  of  exhortation  and  encouragement ;  and  never 
refused  any  thing  to  the  Superior  that  could  be  useful 
to  his  establishment.  He  extended  the  same  kind 
attention  to  his  principal  seminary,  and  felt,  perhaps, 
a  Still  more  tender  affection  for  it.  Here  he  gave 
those,  who  were  training  for  the  service  of  the  sanc- 
tuary, lessons  on  charity,  zeal,  gentleness,  and  pru- 
dence, of  all  which  he  was  himself  the  most  touch- 
ing model.  He  was  particularly  happy  in  the  reli- 
gious exercises  of  the  retreat  which  preceded  or- 
dination. Forcibly  struck  with  the  new  position 
about  to  be  assumed  by  young  men  living  hitherto 
in  the  seclusion  of  the  seminaries,  who,  in  a  few 
days,  were  to  be  suddenly  introduced  into  the  world 
under  the  most  weighty  responsibilities,  with  such 
immense  influence  for  good,  if  their  conduct  should 
correspond   to   their  profession,  and  with  still  greater 


202  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

influence  for  evil,  if  ihey  were  imprudent,  his  heart 
was  deeply  interested  in  their  fate,  and  that  of  re- 
ligion, whose  ministers  they  were  about  to  become. 
On  these  occasions,  he  enforced  upon  them  those 
ilessons  of  wisdom,  of  modesty,  of  disinterestedness, 
which  would  insure  the  success  of  their  ministry,  and 
inculcated  upon  them  the  obligation  they  were  under 
to  render  religion  lovely  in  the  world ;  to  win  to  her 
every  sinner  by  kindness  of  conduct,  mildness  of 
character,  suavity  of  language,  and  the  self-devotion 
cxf  charity.  After  the  ceremony  of  ordination,  he  did 
not  deliver  a  discourse  upon  the  duties  of  the  priest- 
hood ;  he  was  too  much  affected  to  preach  then. 
He  poured  out  his  heart,  and  his  sensibility  over- 
flowed at  the  sight  of  these  youthful  priests,  new 
children  added  to  his  sacerdotal  family,  new  aids, 
he  said,  sent  to  support  his  weakness;  new  props,  on 
which  his  old  age  might  lean.  In  this  manner,  did 
the  Archbishop  give  lessons  and  examples  of  goodness 
to  his  seminaries ;  but  he  did  not  introduce  into  them 
that  spirit  of  innovation  which  is  fond  of  change,  fertik 
in  plans  of  reform,  and  productive  only  of  disastrous 
results.  He  reposed  entire  confidence  in  the  society 
of  the  priests  of  St.  Sulpicius,  who  had  charge  of  the 
principal  seminary,  and  in  the  venerable  ecclesiastic, 
himself  a  pupil  of  St.  Sulpicius,  who  had  the  di- 
rection of  the  lower  seminary.  He  relied  upon 
them  for  all  the  details,  and  refused  to  intermeddle 
with  these;    "Because,"    he  said,    "unity   is  essen- 


ENCOURAGES  SCHOOLS   OF   CHRISTIAN   DOCTRINE.    203 

tial  to  every  government,  and  similarity  of  views  to 
every  administration  ;  a  machine  drawing  different 
ways  has  no  longer  a  regular  movement."  So  that 
the  most  intimate  and  cordial  union  was  always  main- 
tained between  the  Archbishop  and  his  seminaries, 
•where  his  visits  were  welcomed  with  delight,  and 
he  was  received  with  joy,  as  a  father  in  the  bosom 
of  his  family. 

But  the  tender  interest  of  the  Archbishop  of  Bor- 
deaux was  not  confined  to  the  education  of  clerical 
youth  only.  He  was  sensible  that  it  would  be  all  in 
vain  for  the  seminaries  to  send  forth  good  priests,  if 
infancy  was  vitiated  in  its  primary  education  ;  if,  from 
the  earliest  age,  the  mind  and  the  heart  were  not 
formed  to  the  love  and  practice  of  virtue.  This  ren- 
dered the  fraternity  of  the  Schools  of  Christian  Doc- 
trine so  dear  to  him;  he  esteemed  them  the  most  sig- 
nal benefactors  of  religion  and  society,  admired  their 
devotedness,  which  faith  alone  could  inspire  and  sus- 
tain, and  could  not  conceive  that  sensible  people  could 
think  of  comparing  with  them  masters  animated  by  any 
other  motive.  He  often  visited  their  schools,  congrat- 
ulated the  children  on  having  such  masters,  whom  he 
called  fellow-laborers  in  his  ministry ;  he  even  re- 
ceived the  children  at  his  own  house,  and  distributed 
rewards  among  them.  "If  Bordeaux  should  lose 
these  good  brothers,"  he  wrote  to  a  minister  to  whom 
he  recommended  them,  "  it  would  be  an  unspeak- 
able   misfortune  ;    in  their   school    the   love  of  good 


204  LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

order,  submission   to   the   laws,  and   respect  for   the 
magistrates  are  learned ;  because  they  teach  all  these 
in  the  name  of  religion,  the  only  solid  basis  of  social 
happiness."      He   would    have    recommended    them 
also,    had    it   been   necessary,    to    the    authorities    of 
the  city  of  Bordeaux ;  but  the  fraternity  recommended 
themselves   strongly  enough.     Every  year  the  state- 
ment of  the  labors  of  the  scholars,  and  the  sagacity 
of  their  replies  to  questions  which  seemed  to  belong 
to  more   advanced  studies,  manifested   new  progress, 
to  which    the   equity  of  the  magistrates    did    ample 
justice.      The    Archbishop    was    almost    alarmed    at 
this ;  he   feared  lest   youth  so   well  informed   should 
wish  to  rise  above    their  condition    in  life,  and  min- 
gle   in   the   ranks,  already    too  crowded,   which    ob- 
struct  every  avenue   to   office.     In  his   remarks,  he 
endeavoured  to  fortify  them  against  that  ambition  of 
the  lower  class,  which  he  esteemed  one  of  the  greatest 
scourges  of  modern   society  ;   because  it  implants    in 
every  mind  a   principle  of  restlessness,   a   desire    of 
change  and  of  revolution,  a  tendency  to  disturb  the 
existing  state  of  things,  which  induce  the   people  to 
join  with   every  agitator.     "You  are  on    the    lowest 
round  of  the  social  ladder,"  he  said  to  them  one  day; 
"  but  it  is  with  this  as  with  Jacob's  ladder,  on  which 
the    angels   were    ascending    and    descending.      The 
angel    that  was  on  the  step   nearest   the    earth,  was 
no  less  great,  no  less  happy,  and  no  less  honorable, 
than  he  that  was  on  the  round  nearest   heaven.     It 


PROMOTES   THE   DISTRIBUTION   OF  GOOD    BOOKS.      205 

is  the  same  with  you,  my  children  ;  every  condition 
is  honorable,  when  it  is  well  filled.  Happiness  is 
found  everywhere,  when  we  are  virtuous." 

The  Archbishop  also  visited  with  tender  interest 
those  religious  communities  where  young  girls,  both 
rich  and  poor,  were  educated.  With  inexhaustible 
goodness  and  indefatigable  patience,  he  accorded  what- 
ever could  give  them  pleasure ;  he  was  present,  when 
they  wished  it,  at  all  their  exercises,  either  to  excit6 
emulation  by  public  trials  of  memory  and  application, 
or  to  distribute  rewards  ;  and  he  thought  nothing  of 
his  own  trouble,  provided  good  was  done  and  others 
were  pleased. 

To  this  interest  in  the  right  education  of  child- 
hood, he  united  a  zeal  no  less  ardent  in  another 
work,  designed  to  disseminate  lessons  of  virtue  and 
religion  among  adults  of  all  classes.  We  allude  to 
the  plan  of  distributing  good  books,  which  Bordeaux 
had  the  honor  of  originating,  and  which  has  spread 
thence  into  most  of  the  dioceses  of  France.  Be- 
fore the  arrival  of  Archbishop  Clieverus,  this  work 
had  been  commenced  by  a  holy  priest,  M.  Barraut, 
who,  witnessing  the  infernal  eagerness  with  which 
certain  men  were  engaged  in  disseminating  bad  books, 
in  order  to  destroy  even  the  last  remaining  germ  of 
religion  in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  conceived  the 
design  of  employing  an  antidote  against  these,  and 
spreading  abroad  good  books  with  at  least  equal  zeal. 
He  began  with  his  own  library,  and  put  in  circula- 
18 


206  LIFE    OP    CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

tion  all  those  books  contained  in  it,  which  might  be 
read  with  most  advantage.  For  each  class  and  every 
condition  he  selected  a  book  suited  to  their  capacity ; 
at  first  a  work  merely  amusing,  in  order  to  allure 
the  reader ;  then  another,  which  combined  instruction 
with  entertainment ;  and  finally  he  gave  out  books  of 
an  entirely  religious  character,  calculated  to  impart 
the  knowledge  of  Christianity,  and  to  inspire  a  love 
for  the  sacraments,  and  a  desire  to  receive  them. 
This  first  attempt  was  successful ;  and  he  had  the 
consolation  of  seeing  many  persons  return  to  God, 
enlightened  and  affected  by  reading  these  books,  who 
before  had  lived  in  the  neglect  of  all  religious  ob- 
servances. Encouraged  by  this  success,  he  employed 
all  his  means  in  purchasing  new  books,  and  in- 
terested good  people  in  the  undertaking ;  and  soon 
many  thousand  volumes  were  in  circulation  in  Bor- 
deaux and  the  diocese,  diffusing  everywhere  the  light 
of  religion,  and  kindling  the  sacred  flame  of  virtue. 
Monseigneur  d'Aviau,  by  an  archiepiscopal  ordinance, 
gave  canonical  authority  and  stability  to  this  work, 
and  sent  information  of  it  to  the  Holy  See,  which 
bestowed  upon  it  many  praises,  and  enriched  it 
by  privileges.  Such  was  the  state  of  things  when 
Archbishop  Cheverus  arrived  at  Bordeaux.  He  re- 
joiced in  finding  there  so  valuable  an  institution,  man- 
ifested especial  kindness  towards  its  generous  found- 
er, treated  him  as  a  friend,  and  embraced  the  first 
opportunity  that    occurred  to  confer  on  him,  as  well 


HOUSE  OF  REFUGE  AND  MERCY.         207 

as  on  his  labors,  the  highest  mark  of  his  approbation, 
by  naming  him  titular  canon  of  his  metropolitan  city. 
He  gave  him,  besides,  more  than  six  hundred  volumes, 
exclusive  of  pecuniary  donations ;  recommended  the 
association  again  to  the  Holy  See,  and  obtained  for 
it  new  privileges  ;  preached  on  its  behalf  whenever 
he  was  requested  to  do  so,  and  declared  himself 
from  the  pulpit  its  patron  and  friend.  He  pre- 
sided himself  at  its  meetings,  in  his  own  palace  ; 
and,  that  it  might  the  more  certainly  accomplish  its 
design,  he  appointed  a  committee  to  examine  what 
books  it  would  be  best  to  put  in  circulation. 

The  w^arm  interest  manifested  by  Archbishop  Chev- 
erus  in  whatever  tended  to  make  men  virtuous,  or 
restore  such  as  had  wandered  from  religion  to  her 
paths,  may  give  one  some  idea  how  much  he  must 
have  felt  for  those  who,  guided  by  grace,  and  desirous  of 
avoiding  a  world  whose  dangers  they  had  experienced, 
came  to  expiate  in  retirement  the  irregularities  of  their 
conduct,  and  to  lead  penitent  and  exemplary  lives, 
under  the  wings  of  divine  mercy.  There  existed,  at 
Bordeaux,  a  House  of  Refuge  and  Mercy,  where 
more  than  three  hundred  persons  of  this  description, 
voluntary  penitents,  led  a  life  of  labor  and  self-denial ; 
alleviated,  however,  by  the  happiness  of  a  purified 
conscience,  recovered  peace  of  mind,  and  the  holy  ex- 
ercises of  prayer.  This  establishment  was  an  object  of 
admiration  to  the  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux ;  he  re- 
garded it  as  the  glory  of  his  diocese,  and  delighted  to 


208  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

take  strangers  there,  that  he  might  lead  them  to  admire 
the  hand  of  God,  tlie  operation  of  the  Most  High, 
and  his  most  signal  act  of  grace.  He  did  every- 
thing, moreover,  to  sustain  this  institution  ;  it  inherited 
most  of  his  property  after  his  death,  and  as  long  as 
he  lived  he  continued  to  bestow  money  upon  it,  as 
far  as  his  means  allowed,  and  persuaded  the  rich  to 
aid  him  with  their  bounties;  and  when  the  wants  of 
the  establishment  were  most  pressing,  he  called  a 
charity  meeting,  and  communicated  to  the  souls  of 
others  the  sensibility  that  filled  his  own,  and  a  large 
collection  repaid  his  pious  zeal.  He  particularly  es- 
teemed the  Superior  of  this  establishment.  Mademoi- 
selle de  Lamouroux,  a  lady  of  good  family,  who,  with 
an  heroic  charity,  by  the  highest  act  of  devotion  that  a 
noble  and  pure  soul  ever  offered  to  its  God,  had 
sacrificed  her  youth,  her  repose,  her  health,  all  her 
natural  feelings  of  repugnance,  to  devote  herself  to 
the  direction  of  this  house,  and  to  share  the  asylum 
and  the  penance  of  these  erring  women.  She  was 
obliged  to  provide  subsistence  every  day  for  three 
hundred  persons ;  and  for  thirty-six  years  she  had  suc- 
ceeded in  doing  this  by  her  heroic  confidence  in  God, 
who  was  her  only  resource.  She  asked  nothing  from 
men,  and,  although  the  house  had  no  revenue,  re- 
fused even  the  most  magnificent  offers  of  patronage 
from  those  who  seemed  ambitious  of  the  glory  of  aid- 
ing her.  "  God  alone  is  sufficient  for  us,"  she  said  ; 
*'  I  labor  for  him,  and  I  rely  upon    him  alone  ;   if  I 


HOSPITALS.  —  SISTERS  OF  CHARITY.  209 

should  ask  favors  from  men,  they  would  fail  me  at 
last,  for  men  always  fail  those  who  trust  in  them  ; 
and  then  if  I  should  have  recourse  to  God,  he  would 
send  me  back  to  men,  whom  I  had  preferred  to  him ; 
instead  of  which,  confiding  only  in  him,  I  can  say 
to  him,  'My  God,  you  have  intrusted  your  children 
to  my  care ;  you  have  placed  me  at  the  head  of  your 
institution ;  I  have  called  only  upon  you ;  I  claim 
your  protection ;  I  implore  you  to  come  to  my  aid.' 
In  case  of  need,  I  would  speak  thus  to  God,"  ^aid 
she,  "and  he  would  hear  me."  God  did  in  fact 
manifest  that  he  heard  her,  more  than  once ;  the 
community  had  often  witnessed,  in  moments  of  dis- 
tress, when  they  wanted  even  bread,  extraordinary 
answers  to  her  prayers,  which  it  is  difficult  to  ac- 
count for  without  the  aid  of  a  miracle.  The  Arch- 
bishop, therefore,  revered  her  as  a  saint  worthy  of 
the  first  ages  of  the  church,*  and  there  was  no  one 
whom  he  esteemed  more  highly. 

Next  to  the  House  of  Refuge,  Archbishop  Chev- 
erus  took  the  most  tender  interest  in  the  hospitals, 
where  were  collected  the  various  victims  of  human 
misery  ;   the    sick,  the   infirm,  the  aged,  the   insane, 

*  Such  was  also  Monseigneur  d'Aviau's  opinion  of  her. 
Some  one  related  to  him  one  day  an  extraordinary  occur- 
rence, which  many  sensible  persons  esteemed  truly  miracu- 
lous, which  took  place  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  Mademoi- 
selle de  Lamouroux.  "  I  am  not  surprised  at  what  you  tell 
me,"  replied  the  holy  Archbishop  ;  "but  I  should  indeed  won- 
der if  one  so  holy  did  not  perform  miracles." 
18* 


210  LIFE    OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

and  foundling  children.  He  visited  them  often,  and 
as  he  approached  these  abodes,  his  paternal  heart 
was  melted  with  compassion  ;  he  passed  through  the 
halls  where  so  many  wretched  beings  were  lying  on 
beds  of  pain,  approached  them  with  kindness,  and 
addressed  them  in  words  of  consolation.  He  was  hap- 
py to  see  the  good  order  and  neatness  that  everywhere 
prevailed,  and  all  the  care  of  a  kind  mother  lavished 
upon  the  sick  by  the  worthy  Sisters  of  Charity,  to 
whom  these  establishments  are  confided ;  and  such 
was  his  admiration,  that  he  could  find  no  words  to 
express  his  respect  and  esteem  for  them.  When 
they  fell  on  their  knees  to  ask  his  benediction,  he 
could  have  wished,  he  said,  to  receive  theirs;  "for 
how  full  of  blessings  must  those  hands  be,  which  are 
employed  only  in  acts  of  charity!"  Whenever  they 
asked  any  thing  of  him,  they  were  sure  beforehand 
of  obtaining  it ;  he  declared  that  he  could  refuse  them 
nothing,  and,  in  consideration  of  this,  begged  them 
to  be  prudent  in  their  requests,  and  to  make  them 
first  the  subject  of  devout  meditation.  His  respect 
for  them  was  so  great,  that  whenever  he  was  preach- 
ing, if  he  perceived  a  Sister  of  Charity  among  the  con- 
gregation, one  might  divine  beforehand  what  the  sub- 
ject of  his  discourse  would  be,  that  the  praise  of  the 
daughters  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul  would  soon  rise  from 
his  heart  to  his  hps.  "  They  are,"  said  he,  "  the  high- 
est glory  of  religion,  the  best  manifestation  of  grace, 
the  most  striking  proof  of  the  divinity  of  Catholicism." 


HIS  ATTENDANCE  AT  THE  CHAMBER    OF  PEERS.      211 

And  he  stated,  in  connexion  with  this  subject,  that  the 
Protestants  of  America,  having  complained  because  a 
hospital  was  confided  to  the  care  of  the  Sisters  of 
Charity,  were  silenced  by  the  reply,  that  their  com- 
plaints should  be  attended  to  when  their  own  ministers 
should  form  such  angels,  as  these  sisters,  in  devoted- 
ness,  in  zeal,  in  gentleness,  and  tenderness  towards 
all  sufferers. 

It  was  a  fresh  source  of  regret  to  Archbishop  Chev- 
erus  every  year,  when  he  was  compelled  to  tear 
himself  from  a  diocese  where  he  effected  so  much 
good,  and  sustained  and  encouraged  so  many  works 
of  charity,  and  go  to  Paris  to  attend  the  sessions 
of  the  Chamber  of  Peers.  He  made  amends  at  such 
times  for  whatever  he  was  prevented  from  doing  at 
Bordeaux,  by  accomplishing  all  the  good  in  his  power, 
in  the  heart  of  the  capital.  Thence  he  governed  his 
diocese ;  all  matters  relating  to  it  were  communicated 
to  him,  with  the  opinion  of  the  council  on  each,  and  he 
pronounced  the  final  judgment  upon  them.  There, 
he  called  the  attention  of  the  several  departments  of 
government  to  whatever  was  interesting  to  religion 
within  the  hmits  of  his  jurisdiction  ;  he  even  conde- 
scended to  attend  to  business  belonging  to  others,  in 
order  to  oblige  them,  and  carried  his  kindness  so  far, 
as  to  undertake  commissions  that  would  have  seemed 
beneath  the  dignity  of  a  Peer  of  France  and  an 
Archbishop,  were  it  not  that  charity  elevates  and 
ennobles  whatever  she  performs.     If  he  was  invited 


212  J^-IFE  OF  CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

to  preach,  he  always  manifested  that  readiness  to 
oblige  which  can  refuse  nothing.  He  pronounced  one 
day  as  many  as  seventeen  different  discourses  for  the 
benediction  of  seventeen  statues  of  the  Greek  and 
Latin  Fathers  ;  *  and  his  perfect  description  of  the 
characters,  the  writings,  the  virtues,  and  the  remarkable 
acts  of  each  of  these  Fathers  ;  the  knowledge  of  his- 
tory, and  the  grace  and  facility  of  elocution  displayed 
by  him,  demonstrated  to  all  that  his  talents  and  learning 
were  equal  to  his  kindness.  He  was  never  deterred 
even  by  circumstances  the  most  difficult  and  trying  to 
a  preacher,  because  he  counted  his  reputation  as 
nothing,  and  the  good  to  be  done  as  every  thing ;  and 
the  blessings  which  God  bestows  on  such  a  disposition 
of  heart,  joined  to  his  own  ready  intelligence,  obtained 
for  him,  on  many  occasions,  a  gratifying  success.  Being 
invited  to  preach  on  Good  Friday  before  the  Polytech- 
nic School,  it  was  greatly  feared  that  he  would  not  be 
able  to  obtain  a  hearing.  An  illustrious  Archbishop, 
in  spite  of  his  graces  of  language  and  his  high  birth, 
had  failed  here  the  preceding  year ;  the  students,  by 
their  tumultuous  conduct,  having  forced  him  to  leave 
the  pulpit.  Archbishop  Cheverus  came,  and  took  for 
his  text  these  words  of  the  Apostle  :  "  I  determined 
not  to  know  any  thing  among  you,  save  Jesus  Christ, 
and  him  crucified :  Non  judicavi  me  scire  aliquid 
inter  vos  nisi  Jesum   Christum  et  hunc  crucijixum.^^ 

*  This  circumstance   took  place   at   Conflans,  a  country 
house  of  the  Seminary  of  Saint  Nicholas,  near  Paris. 


HIS   SERMONS  ON  VARIOUS    OCCASIONS   IN   PARIS.    213 

"  If  it  were  my  intention,"  he  went  on  to  say  to 
them,  "  to  speak  of  human  science,  I  should  first  come 
to  take  lessons  in  this  learned  school,  and  from  your- 
selves, Gentlemen  ;  but  I  am  to  treat  this  day  of  the 
science  of  the  cross ;  this  is  my  peculiar  science,  the 
science  which  I  have  studied  and  preached  for  forty 
years,  among  civilized  nations,  as  well  as  among  sav- 
age people,  because  it  equally  concerns  all ;  and  you 
will  permit  an  aged  bishop  to  communicate  to  you 
the  result  of  his  long  studies."  So  insinuating  an 
exordium  won  all  hearts ;  they  listened  to  every 
word  of  the  aged  bishop  in  the  most  perfect  silence, 
with  the  most  sustained  attention,  and  the  liveliest 
interest ;  and  the  Archbishop  retired  as  well  pleased 
with  the  young  men  as  they  were  with  him. 

Some  time  after,  he  was  invited  to  preach  before  the 
Irish  Seminary ;  but,  on  account  of  the  slight  knowl- 
edge of  the  French  language  possessed  by  the  students, 
it  was  necessary  that  his  sermon  should  be  in  English. 
The  Archbishop  accepted  the  invitation,  and  surprised 
his  whole  audience  by  the  facility  of  his  elocution,  the 
propriety  of  his  expressions,  and  the  graces  of  his  style. 
It  was  evident  that  he  had  forgotten  nothing  of  that  lan- 
guage, and  that  he  was  still  as  familiar  with  it  as  when 
he  was  in  America.  He  was  equally  successful  in  a 
charity  sermon,  preached  before  a  numerous  assembly 
of  ladies  of  the  court.  His  object  was  to  recommend 
to  the  generosity  of  his  audience  those  families  of  La 
Vendee,  whom  the  misfortune  of  war  had  reduced  to 


214  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERaS. 

indigence,  by  depriving  them  of  a  father,  a  brother,  or  a 
son,  who  was  their  only  support.  Bishop  Cheverus 
was  deeply  interested  in  his  subject ;  he  had  taken  for 
his  text  these  words  from  the  Psalms  :  "  Take  care  of 
the  children  of  those  who  are  dead  :  Posside  Jilios 
mortijicaiorum ; "  and  the  plan  of  his  discourse,  his 
train  of  thought,  was  arranged  in  his  mind.  But, 
just  as  he  was  about  to  commence,  he  was  informed 
that  the  Dauphiness  and  the  Duchess  de  Berry  were  to 
be  present  at  the  sermon.  This  information  discon- 
certed him  a  little  at  first.  Politeness  required  him  to 
say  something  complimentary  to  the  two  princesses,  and 
perhaps  to  represent  the  facts  of  the  case  in  a  pecular 
manner ;  but  there  was  no  time  to  think  about  it ; 
he  must  commence  directly.  Soon,  however,  recov- 
ering his  presence  of  mind,  and  overcoming  his  first 
apprehensions,  he  spoke  with  so  much  judgment  and 
pertinency,  said  so  well  and  so  gracefully  what  was 
proper  to  be  said,  that  he  merited  the  very  gracious 
compliment  which  he  received  from  the  lips  of  the 
King  himself,  on  the  following  occasion.  Charles  the 
Tenth,  who  had  heard  of  the  sermon  preached  be- 
fore the  Irish  the  preceding  week,  congratulated  the 
Archbishop,  when  he  saw  him,  on  the  ease  with  which 
he  preached  in  English.  "Sire,"  replied  the  Arch- 
bishop, with  his  usual  modesty,  which  always  sought 
to  qualify  the  praise  bestowed  on  him,  "  I  deserve 
very  little  credit  for  that  which  your  Majesty  is 
pleased  to  commend  ;  for  though  I  am  ashamed  to  say 


HIS    INTERVIEWS    WITH    CHARLES   THE   TENTH.       215 

SO  before  the  King  of  France,  I  am  much  more  famil- 
iar with  the  English  than  with  the  French."  *'  You 
preach,  however,  very  well  in  French,"  graciously 
replied  Charles  the  Tenth,  "  for  the  Dauphiness 
heard  you  the  other  day,  and  she  was  enchanted." 

This  Prince  was  singularly  fond  of  conversing  with 
the  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux.  Harassed  at  that  time 
by  the  hostile  charges  against  his  government,  daily 
repeated  in  the  name  of  liberty,  he  questioned  him 
upon  the  state  of  things  in  the  United  States ;  and 
Archbishop  Cheverus  informed  him  of  the  entire  lib- 
erty that  religion  and  education  there  enjoy.  "  In 
the  United  States,"  said  he,  alluding  to  the  demands 
made  in  certain  public  prints  of  that  period,  *'  I  could 
have  sent  missionaries  to  all  the  churches,  have  found- 
ed many  seminaries  everywhere,  and  confided  the  di- 
rection of  them  to  the  Jesuits,  and  no  one  would  ever 
have  thought  of  making  any  objection  ;  all  opposition 
to  these  acts  would  have  been  regarded  as  tyrannical, 
as  a  violation  of  the  rights  of  liberty  ;  there,  I  might 
have  refused  burial  to  any  one  who  did  not  appear  to 
me  worthy  of  it,  and  the  idea  of  obliging  me  to  grant 
it  would  have  seemed  ridiculous."  The  King  re- 
plied, with  a  sigh,  "  These  men  at  least  understand 
liberty ;  when  will  it  be  understood  among  our- 
selves ? ^  They  then  conversed  upon  the  wel- 
fare of  France,  the  means  of  securing  it,  and  the  ob- 
stacles in  the  way  of  it.  In  this  frequent  intercourse 
with  the  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux,  Charles  the  Tenth 


216  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

conceived  such  a  high  esteem  for  him,  that  he  then 
thought  of  soliciting  a  Cardinal's  hat  for  him  at  the 
Court  of  Rome.  The  execution  of  this  project  was 
suspended  only  in  consequence  of  a  change  in  the 
njinistry,  and  the  perplexity  that  soon  after  occurred 
in  the  affairs  of  the  government.  This  we  learn 
from  the  letter  of  a  former  minister  of  Charles  the 
Tenth,  which  we  found  among  the  papers  of  Arch- 
bishop Cheverus.  ''  I  regret,"  writes  this  minister  to 
him,  on  the  25th  of  February,  1836,  "I  regret,  for 
the  sake  of  those  who  now  have  and  will  ever  possess 
my  affection,  that  you  were  not  made  a  Cardinal 
seven  years  ago  ;  I  wish  you,  at  least,  to  know  th^t 
such  was  the  intention  of  the  Prince,  who  honored  me 
with  his  confidence,  and,  I  need  not  add,  it  was  also 
that  of  his  ministers." 

It  was  not  at  court,  only,  that  the  merits  of  the 
Archbishop  of  Bordeaux  were  appreciated ;  every- 
body sought  to  enjoy  the  charms  of  his  conversation, 
and  was  happy  in  his  society.  Many  peers  of  France, 
struck  with  the  graceful  and  lively  remarks  which  he 
introduced  so  appropriately,  visited  him  at  his  hotel, 
and  invited  him  to  their  meetings.  The  Archbishop 
sometimes  attended  them,  but  still  with  some  reserve; 
for  he  never  wished  to  be  present  at  political  meet- 
ings, held  by  the  opposition  party."  "  It  is  not,"  he 
said,  *'  in  accordance  with  my  character,  and  still  less 
so  with  the  feelings  of  my  heart,  to  promote  opposi- 
tion ;  I  wish  to  serve  the   Government  sincerely,  to 


APPOINTED  PRESIDENT  OP  AN  ELECTORAL  COLLEGE.  217 

aid  it  by  my  co-operation,  and  not  to  put  obstacles 
in  its  way."  But,  if  the  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux 
found  some  enjoyment  during  his  residence  in  Paris, 
while  attending  the  sessions  of  the  Chamber,  it  was 
counterbalanced  by  many  troubles. 

The  first  unpleasant  circumstance  that  occurred 
was  his  being  chosen  by  Charles  the  Tenth  to  pre- 
side over  the  Electoral  College  of  Mayenne.  The 
King,  in  sending  to  the  electors  of  that  department  a 
president  so  beloved  and  venerated,  thought  that  their 
regard  for  his  character,  his  person,  and  his  wishes, 
would  lead  them  to  nominate  a  deputy  friendly  to  the 
government ;  but  Archbishop  Cheverus,  knowing  the 
disposition  of  their  minds,  far  from  flattering  himself 
with  such  success,  despaired  of  being  able  to  fulfil  his 
mission  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  King ;  it  was  there- 
fore with  extreme  reluctance  that  he  accepted  the  ap- 
pointment ;  and  it  required  all  his  spirit  of  obedience 
and  devotion  to  the  person  of  Charles  the  Tenth,  to 
induce  him  to  do  so.  He  acquitted  himself,  however, 
of  the  duties  of  this  commission  with  all  the  zeal  that 
might  have  been  expected  from  him  ;  and  described 
to  the  electors,  in  a  very  forcible  manner,  the  character 
of  the  deputy  whom  he  desired  to- obtain  from  them. 
"  I  do  not  pretend,'*  he  said  to  them,  '^  to  prescribe  to 
you  whom  you  ought  to  choose ;  I  am  here  only  to 
assure  myself  of  your  choice,  and  to  proclaim  it ;  but 
I  should  do  violence  to  my  own  feelings,  and  be  un- 
faithful to  you,  if  I  did  not  say  that  I  expect  you  to 
19 


218  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

choose  a  deputy  who  is  a  friend  to  religion,  to  legit- 
imacy, to  monarchy,  to  the  King  and  his  august  family  ; 
a  deputy  who  is  well  persuaded  that  both  the  charter 
and  our  institutions,  in  order  to  the  security  of  our  lib- 
erty and  happiness,  have  especial  need  of  a  powerful, 
paternal,  and  protecting  authority,  to  maintain  and  de- 
fend them  against  license  ;  a  deputy,  in  short,  whose 
truly  loyal  heart  thrills,  in  unison  with  ours,  with  love 
and  gratitude  at  the  very  name  of  our  beloved  Charles 
the  Tenth."  Nothing  could  have  been  said  more  to 
the  purpose  ;  yet  the  Archbishop,  as  he  had  foreseen, 
did  not  obtain  what  he  desired,  and  the  deputy  elected 
went  to  take  his  seat,  with  many  others,  on  the 
benches  of  the  opposition.  After  the  mortification  of 
an  unsuccessful  mission,  he  returned  to  Paris,  where 
difficulties  and  opposition  of  another  kind,  very  painful 
to  his  feelings,  awaited  him. 

The  most  violent  complaints  against  the  Jesuits,  and 
what  was  called  the  priest-party^  at  that  time  were 
heard  daily  from  the  public  journals,  and  even  from  the 
tribune  of  the  two  legislative  chambers.  In  so  critical 
a  juncture,  Charles  the  Tenth  believed  it  his  duty  to 
sacrifice  the  Jesuits,  that  he  might  save  the  rest  of 
the  clergy ;  to  lay  restrictions  upon  the  lower  sem- 
inaries, in  order  to  save  them  from  entire  destruc- 
tion. At  the  first  news  of  this  determination  of  the 
King,  the  whole  body  of  bishops  was  in  consterna- 
tion ;  the  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux  was  himself  as 
much  concerned  as  any  one.  He  must  part  with  the 
Jesuits,  who  rendered  the  most  important  services  in 


DECREE  OP  THE  KING   AGAINST   THE  JESUITS.        219 

his  diocese;  he  was  about  to  lose  one  of  his  lower 
seminaries ;  in  short,  he  foresaw  the  disastrous  conse- 
quences which  this  measure  would  bring  upon  every 
thing  connected  with  rehgion  in  France.  All  the 
archbishops  and  bishops  who  were  in  Paris  appeared 
at  court,  represented  to  the  King  the  great  injury 
he  was  about  to  inflict  upon  rehgion,  and  neglected 
no  consideration  that  might  avert  the  blow  with 
which  they  were  threatened.  But  the  King  had 
taken  his  resolution ;  he  believed  the  measure  neces- 
sary to  the  peace  of  the  state,  and,  on  the  16th  of 
June,  1828,  he  signed  the  two  ordinances,  one  of 
which  excluded  the  Jesuits  from  the  education  of 
youth,  and  the  other  imposed  trammels  and  restric- 
tions on  the  lower  seminaries.  A  universal  protest 
followed  this  step ;  all  the  Catholics  in  France  sound- 
ed the  cry  of  alarm  ;  and  the  whole  body  of  bishops, 
stunned  by  this  blow,  were  uncertain  what  part  to 
take.  Many  protested,  believing  that  the  resistance 
of  the  House  of  the  bishops  might,  perhaps,  arrest  the 
execution  of  the  ordinances,  and  prevent  the  evils  which 
they  would  bring  upon  religion  and  France.  Some 
others,*  among  whom  was  the  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux, 

*  Of  the  small  number  of  prelates  who  thought  with  Arch- 
bishop Cheverus  was  Monseigneur  Brault,  formerly  Bishop  of 
Bayeux,  and  at  that  time  Archbishop  of  Alby,  a  prelate  of  emi- 
nent merit,  and  one  of  the  brightest  ornaments  of  the  church 
of  France.  He  was  the  intimate  friend  of  the  Archbishop  of 
Bordeaux,  who  said  that  he  had  always  had  the  happiness  of 
agreeing  with  him  on  all  subjects. 


220  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

thinking  the  evil  irremediably  done,  believed  that  these 
protests  of  the  bishops  could  bring  about  no  useful 
result ;  that  the  government  would  not  retract  after 
having  gone  so  far  as  it  had  done,  and  that  resist- 
ance would  therefore  end  only  in  the  entire  ruin  of 
the  lower  seminaries  ;  and,  moreover,  that,  if  it  were 
necessary  sooner  or  later  to  submit,  or  to  annihilate 
the  priesthood  at  its  very  source  by  shutting  up  the 
ecclesiastical  schools,  it  would  be  better  to  submit  at 
once  than  to  offer  resistance  and  be  obliged  to  yield 
afterwards. 

This  last  opinion,  the  wisdom  of  which  subsequent 
events  have  confirmed,  was  at  first  very  unwelcome, 
and  was  indeed  openly  censured  by  many.  Instead 
of  examining  the  grounds  on  which  it  rested,  and 
which  were  so  well  supported  by  reason,  they  were 
influenced  only  by  their  regret  for  what  they  were 
about  to  lose,  to  a  love  of  good  which  acted  without 
reflection,  and  the  deceptive  remarks  of  certain  jour- 
nals ;  and  hence  they  concluded  that  those,  who 
would  not  protest  against  the  ordinances,  w^ere  by 
this  single  circumstance  convicted  of  hostility  to  the 
Jesuits,  and  of  sacrificing  the  existence  of  their 
lower  seminaries  to  a  base  pusillanimity.  The  Arch- 
bishop of  Bordeaux  was  troubled  to  find  such  a  bad 
construction  put  upon  his  conduct,  and  his  true  senti- 
ments so  basely  calumniated.  Nevertheless,  strong  in 
an  approving  conscience,  he  did  not  suffer  himself 
to  be  dejected  or  shaken  by  this  trial  j    he  endured 


HIS   MOTIVES   MISINTERPRETED.  221 

it  with  the  cahnness  of  a  Christian,  the  dignity  of  a 
bishop,  and  the  charity  of  an  apostle.  In  a  letter 
to  one  of  his  grand-vicars  on  this  subject,  which  we 
copy  exactly,  he  wrote  as  follows:  *'  Throughout 
this  affair,  I  have  consulted  God,  my  conscience,  and 
men  pre-eminent  in  dignity,  in  learning,  and  in  piety. 
In  the  course  of  my  life,  I  have  been  praised  so  much 
beyond  my  deserts,  that  I  ought  not  to  complain  if  I 
am  now  blamed.  If  I  need  to  be  humbled,  I  will  bless 
the  Lord  for  it,  and  will  gladly  return  to  the  obscure 
poverty  from  which,  God  knows,  I  have  riseoi  in  spite 

of  myself. Salute  all  my  friends ;   assure  them, 

that,  if  any  of  them  should  change  their  opinion  of 
me,  I  shall  love  them  still."  The  conduct  of  Arch- 
bishop Cheverus  corresponded  to  these  noble  senti- 
ments. He  neither  sought  to  justify  himself  nor  to 
give  prevalence  to  his  opinions  ;  he  was  satisfied  that 
others  should  think  differently  from  him,  and  loved 
them  not  the  less  for  it ;  he  even  suffered  contradic- 
tion in  silence ;  and  one  day,  when  a  person,  carried 
away  by  a  zeal  more  ardent  than  charitable,  allowed 
himself  to  address  harsh  reproaches  and  offensive  lan- 
guage to  him  on  this  subject,  the  Archbishop  suffered 
him  to  say  without  interruption  whatever  he  pleased, 
and  when  he  had  finished,  merely  said,  with  perfect 
mildness,  these  few  words :  "  I  thank  God,  Sir,  that 
he  has  given  me  grace  not  to  reply  to  you  in  the  tone 
in  which  you  have  spoken  to  me." 
19* 


222  LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

The  Jesuits  were  more  just  to  Archbishop  Chev- 
erus,  and  honored  him  for  his  sentiments  in  regard 
to  them.  They  recounted  from  the  pulpit  of  truth, 
the  numerous  proofs  of  affection  they  had  received 
from  him,  and  their  grief  in  being  separated  from 
a  prelate  who  loved  them  so  tenderly.  *  In  fact. 
Archbishop  Cheverus  had,  all  his  life,  loved  the 
Jesuits ;  in  America  they  were  his  friends,  f  and  he 
had  urged  the  Holy  See  to  choose  bishops  for  the 
United  States  from  their  society.  He  had  represented 
them  to  the  Pope  as  religious  men,  whose  eminent 
merit,  piety  towards  God,  zeal  for  the  salvation 
of  souls,  and  indefatigable  labors  were  above  all 
praise ;  as  apostles,  who  had  planted  the  faith  in  that 
country,  and  nurtured  it  by  their  toils ;  and  who 
still  maintained  and  propagated  it  there  continually. 
"  All,"  said  he,  "  unite  in  desiring  that  bishops 
may  be  chosen  from  their  body,  who  will  walk  in 
the  steps  of  their  predecessors,  and  be  animated  by 
the  same  spiiit."|  These  sentiments,  which  Arch- 
bishop Cheverus  entertained  towards  the  Jesuits  in 
America,  he  still  felt  in    France.     At   Bordeaux  he 

*  The  discourse  pronounced  on  this  subject  in  the  cathedral 
by  Father  Varlet,  Superior  of  the  lower  seminary,  was  among 
the  most  remarkable. 

f  See,  in  proof  of  this,  the  Second  Book  of  this  work,  pp.  122, 
124, 125. 

I  "Patressocietatis  Jesu,  quorum  eximisB  dotes,  pietas  in  De- 
um,  pro  animarum  salute  zelus,  et  labores  indefessi  nunquam 
satis  commendari  possunt,  catholicam  fidem  in  his  regionibus 


HIS  LOVE   FOR   THE   JESUITS.  223 

often  visited  the  lower  seminary,  which  was  under 
their  care  ;  and  testified  the  tenderest  affection  and 
most  sincere  esteem  for  them.  On  their  departure, he 
pubHcly  expressed  his  grief  in  losing  them ;  and,  that 
he  might  retain  at  least  some  of  them,  he  offered  them 
a  house  near  his  palace,  and  gave  those  who  remained 
there  six  thousand  francs  [twelve  hundred  dollars]  a 
year  for  their  expenses.  He  did  more ;  in  order  to 
preserve  for  them  the  seminary  at  Bordeaux,  in  case 
any  change  of  circumstances  should  allow  them  to  re- 
sume the  business  of  instruction,  he  removed  to  it  at 
great  expense,  and  notwithstanding  many  opposing 
reasons,  all  the  students  of  the  ecclesiastical  institution 
established  at  Bazas.  "  This  removal  costs  a  great 
deal,"  said  he,  "  and  it  is  a  very  sad  thing  to  our 
young  men ;  it  has  but  one  advantage,  which  is,  to 
prove  that  1  love  the  Jesuits." 

In  the  mean  time.  Archbishop  Cheverus,  amid  the 
storms  by  which  God  tries  and  purifies  the  virtue  of 
his  chosen,  was  actively  engaged  in  the  administra- 
tion of  his  diocese,  and  neglected  no  opportunity  of 
doing   good   in  it.     Zealous   priests   dispersed    them- 

plantaverunt,  sudoribus  rigaverunt,  hodieque  fovent  et  propa- 

gant Quis  non  exoptet  inter  eosdem  Patres  unum  eligi, 

qui  praBdecessorum  vestigiis  inhserens  eodemque  spiritu  afflatus 
ecclesisB  Americanse  exhibeat  acceptissimum  et  utilissimum 
prsesulem  ?  " 

This  letter  related  to  the  office  of  Assistant  Bishop  of  Bal- 
timore, which  Archbishop  Cheverus  wished  should  be  given 
to  one  of  the  Jesuits. 


224  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

selves  by  his  orders  through  the  least  religious  par- 
ishes, preached  the  gospel  to  the  people  with  the 
charity  of  good  pastors,  and  made  them  acquainted 
with  that  religion  of  which  they  had  hitherto  been  ig- 
norant, or  which  they  had,  at  least,  entirely  forgotten. 
When  ignorance  was  once  dissipated,  when  the  love  of 
virtue  was  revived  in  their  souls  with  the  knowledge 
of  truth,  then  the  Archbishop  repaired  to  the  spot, 
and,  by  the  power  and  unction  of  his  preaching,  fin- 
ished the  work  which  the  missionaries  had  begun, 
and  distributed  to  the  renovated  people  the  bread 
of  heaven,  and  the  grace  of  confirmation. 

In  other  cases,  the  pastors  themselves  prepared  their 
flocks  for  his  visitation ;  and  when,  through  their  in- 
structions and  zealous  efforts,  the  faithful  were  made 
ready,  they  gave  him  notice  of  it,  and  he  immediately 
went  to  them.  This  was  generally  in  the  winter  sea- 
son, a  time  when  the  people,  less  occupied  with  the 
labors  of  the  field,  could  most  conveniently  attend  to 
religious  exercises  ;  and  the  journey  then  became  some- 
times exceedingly  uncomfortable.  He  was  obliged  to 
expose  himself  to  excessive  cold,  enough  to  appall 
the  most  intrepid  courage,  to  face  an  icy  wind  sweep- 
ing unobstructed  over  that  uncultivated  part  of  his 
diocese  which  borders  on  the  sea.*  But  no  personal 
consideration  could  deter  Archbishop  Cheverus,  or 
induce  him  to  choose  a  more  pleasant  season  for  his 

*  In  January,  1830,  the  Archbishop  travelled  through  the 
Landes,  in  Gascony,  when  the  mercury  stood  below  the  zero 
of  Fahrenheit's  thermometer. 


HIS   WINTER  JOURNEYS.  225 

visitations.  "That  which  would  be  most  comfortable 
for  me,"  said  he,  "  would  be  the  most  inconvenient  to 
the  poor  people  ;  I  must  take  the  time  that  suits  them 
best."  The  inhabitants  of  the  country  themselves 
could  not  repress  their  astonishment  at  the  si<(ht  of 
such  courageous  zeal.  "  What  a  wonderful  thin":,"  ex- 
claimed  a  poor  woman,  in  her  simple  language,  which 
we  shall  be  pardoned  for  repeating,  "  what  a  won- 
derful thing,  to  see  such  a  man,  in  such  a  country, 
in  such  weather!"  Yet,  in  the  midst  of  the  physical 
sufferings  which  the  Archbishop  had  to  endure  in  his 
journeys,  he  never  complained  ;  and  when  others 
seemed  to  pity  him,  he  answered  them  with  some 
good-natured  pleasantry,  and  was  always  as  cheerful 
as  if  he  had  not  suffered  at  all  ;  or  he  turned  the 
conversation  upon  the  poor,  who,  without  fire,  thinly 
clad,  and  miserably  fed,  deserved,  he  said,  all  our 
compassion. 

On  his  return  from  these  apostolical  journeys,  he  was 
diligently  engaged  at  Bordeaux  in  every  pious  work. 
He  often  visited  religious  communities  whom  the  rules 
of  the  cloister  deprived  of  the  benefit  of  coming  to 
the  archiepiscopal  palace  to  ask  his  advice  and  receive 
his  counsel ;  he  addressed  each  in  the  most  suitable 
language  ;  calmed  by  a  word  the  troubles  of  tender 
consciences,  and  instructed  them  in  the  ways  of  ho- 
liness. He  often  visited  private  houses  also,  where 
he  suspected  his  ministry  might  be  useful ;  and  did 
not   decline   entering   even   the   humblest   abodes   of 


226  LIFE  OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

misery,  when  he  thought  he  could  do  any  good  there. 
Sometimes  he  went  to  console  a  persoa  afflicted  by 
the  death  of  a  near  relative,  or  by  some  great  reverse 
of  fortune  ;  sometimes,  to  encourage  one  who  was  sick, 
and  revive  his  hopes  ;  to  prepare  the  way  for,  or  to 
effect,  a  reconciliation,  or  to  recommend  some  good 
work  ;  at  another  time,  to  congratulate  parents-upon  the 
success  and  good  conduct  of  their  children,  and  thus 
testify  to  the  w^hole  family  that  they  had  in  him  a  ten- 
der father,  who  shared  their  joys  as  well  as  their 
sorrows ;  and  again,  to  urge  some  one  at  the  point  of 
death,  who  had  resisted  the  solicitations  of  his  pastor, 
to  accept  at  last  the  comforts  of  religion,  and  not 
expose  himself  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Sovereign 
Judge  of  his  eternal  destiny,  without  having  been  re- 
conciled to  him.  At  such  times  he  approached  the 
sick  person  with  an  air  of  kindness,  compassionated 
his  sufferings,  offered  him  consolation,  and  by  soft 
persuasion  penetrated  his  heart,  and  induced  him  to 
receive  the  last  sacrament,  and  confessed  him  himself 
if  he  expressed  a  desire  that  he  should  do  so.  There 
were  also  visits  of  another  kind,  in  which  the  charity 
of  the  Archbishop  manifested  itself  in  the  most  touch- 
ing manner;  I  mean  those  which  he  made  to  his 
sick  or  infirm  priests.  As  soon  as  he  learned  that 
one  of  them  was  attacked  by  any  malady,  he  went 
to  visit  him  as  soon  as  possible,  seated  himself  near 
his  bed  of  pain,  spoke  to  him  with  paternal  tender- 
ness and  kindness,  encouraged  him  to  be  patient,  and 


HIS   APOSTOLICAL  LABORS    IN   HIS    PALACE.  227 

if  he  perceived  that  he  was  in  want,  contrived  to 
aid  him  secretly,  and  with  a  delica -y  that  was  care- 
ful not  to  wound  his  feehngs.  It  was  not  only  the 
aged  priests  who  thus  excited  his  interest ;  he  has 
been  frequently  seen  with  young  ecclesiastics,  who 
could  not  yet  have  acquired  any  other  claim  upon 
his  tenderness,  than  what  their  character  and  suffer- 
ing state  gave  them.  Nor  did  he  confine  his  charity 
to  a  single  visit ;  he  went  to  see  his  dear  patients  as 
often  as  possible,  and  when  his  occupations  prevented 
his  seeing  them  in  person,  he  toc.k  care  to  be  in- 
formed of  their  condition,  and  sent  one  of  his  priests 
to  visit  them  on  his  behalf,  or  charged  some  one  to 
give  him  daily  intelligence  respecting  them. 

The  Archbishop  accomplished  as  much  good  at 
home,  and  without  leaving  his  palace,  as  he  did 
abroad.  As  he  was  accessible  to  persons  of  every 
description,  and  at  all  hours  of  the  day,  people  came 
to  consult  him  in  all  trying  and  delicate  circumstances. 
Timorous  souls  came  to  reveal  to  him  their  anxieties 
and  troubles  of  conscience ;  men,  who  had  long  been 
estranged  from  all  religious  observances,  sometimes 
even  shaken  in  faith,  came  to  open  to  him  their 
hearts,  and  lay  before  him  their  difficulties  and  re- 
morse, the  obstacles  that  impeded,  and  the  doubts 
which  agitated  them  ;  and  he  gave  them  upon  all 
these  points  explanations  which  imparted  light  to 
their  minds,  with  useful  counsels  and  encouragement 
which  won  them  to  virtue ;  and  then,  if  they  desired 


228  LTFE   OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

it,  he  even  heard  their  confestjions,  and,  after  the 
necessary  probation,  reconciled  them  to  God,  and  was 
the  means  of  their  becoming  exemplary  Christians. 
He  welcomed  with  particular  kindness  those  persons 
who  had  devoted  theniselves  to  works  of  benevolence. 
He  regarded  them  as  co-operators  in  his  episcopal 
labors,  and  esteemed  himself  happy  in  doing  what- 
ever could  give  them  pleasure.  This  was  often  ex- 
perienced in  particular  by  the  Ladies  of  the  Mission^ 
an  interesting  association,  wholly  devoted  to  good 
works,  which  was  formed  at  Bordeaux  at  the  pe- 
riod of  the  Mission  there  in  1817.  These  virtuous 
women,  still  glowing  with  the  fervor  that  prompted 
the  formation  of  their  society,  and  which  they  re- 
kindle every  year  in  a  retreat  which  they  hold  at 
the  cathedral,  sustained  unaided,  for  many  years, 
an  establishment  w4iere  a  great  number  of  young 
orphan  girls  were  trained  up  in  piety  and  the  knowl- 
edge suited  to  their  condition,  happy  to  find  a 
mother's  place  thus  supplied.  Touched  with  this 
self-devotion.  Archbishop  Cheverus  was  ready  to  com- 
ply with  all  their  wishes.  He  assembled  them  in  a 
chapel  adjoining  his  palace,  and  there,  whenever  they 
desired  it,  he  dispensed  to  them  the  divine  word, 
instructed  them  in  the  duties  that  a  Christian  woman 
has  to  perform  in  the  world,  and  gave  them  right 
views  of  true  piety. 

In  the  midst  of  all   these   labors,  the  Archbishop 
received  a  new  fellow-laborer,  who  was  endeared  to 


HIS  CONDUCT  IN  RELATION  TO  HIS  NEPHEW.  229 

him  by  more  than  one  tie,  —  the  Abbe  George,  his 
nephew,  who,  after  having  passed  four  years  at  the 
Seminary  of  St.  Sulpicius,  at  Paris,  in  the  study  of 
ecclesiastical  science,  and  the  practice  of  piety,  had 
just  been  promoted  to  the  priesthood.  His  tenderness 
for  him  equalled  that  of  a  father  for  his  child  ;  but  still 
he  made  no  concessions  in  his  favor  to  the  claims  of 
blood  and  friendship  ;  he  chose  that  he  should  be  simply 
a  parish  vicar,  subject  to  all  the  obligations  of  that 
office,  without  any  distinction.  After  a  certain  time, 
the  Metropolitan  Chapter,  w^ishing  to  number  in  its 
own  ranks  a  priest  who  seemed  so  worthy  of  the 
honor,  came  in  a  body  to  ask  it  as  a  favor  of  the 
Archbishop  that  he  would  make  him  an  honorary  can- 
on, at  least;  but  it  was  in  vain.  The  Archbishop, after 
having  thanked  the  canons  for  this  expression  of  their 
good-will,  replied,  that  his  nephew  had  not  yet  la- 
bored sufficiently  to  merit  that  distinction,  and  that 
he  had  too  good  an  opinion  of  him  to  think  that  he 
desired  it. 

To  the  pleasure  which  Archbishop  Cheverus  found 
in  the  company  of  the  Abbe  George  was  soon  added 
another,  which  recalled  to  him  the  pleasant  days  of  his 
youth.  The  Abbe  Maccarthy,  his  old  school-fellow 
and  friend  at  the  Seminary  of  St.  Magloire,  but  now  a 
Jesuit,  and  the  most  celebrated  preacher  in  France, 
came  to  Bordeaux,  to  preach  during  Advent.  The 
tender  and  cordial  friendship,  which,  after  so  long  an 
interval,  still  subsisted  between  the  Archbishop  and  the 
20 


230  l-IFE   OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

Jesuit  Father,  was  very  touching.  In  all  their  inter- 
course with  each  other,  there  was  a  delightful  ease, 
a  noble  simplicity,  an  amiable  sprightliness,  and  a 
cordiality,  which,  however,  never  degenerated  into 
familiarity  ;  for  this  was  incompatible  with  the  high 
esteem  which  two  such  distinguished  men  entertained 
for  each  other.  They  talked  over  the  happy  days 
passed  at  the  Seminary,  consulted  together,  and  the 
Archbishop  communicated  to  the  preacher,  without 
evasion  or  flattery,  what  he  thought  of  the  plan  and 
composition  of  each  sermon. 

While  Archbishop  Cheverus,  in  the  retirement  of 
his  diocese,  abandoned  himself  with  delight  to  the 
sweet  intercourse  of  friendship,  he  was  not  forgotten 
at  court ;  and  Charles  the  Tenth  delighted  in  giving 
him  tokens  of  his  esteem  and  confidence.  He  had 
already  wished  to  make  him  Minister  of  Ecclesiastical 
Affairs,  and  the  Archbishop  had  refused  in  the  most 
decided  manner,  as  well  because  his  humility  made 
him  averse  to  high  station,  as  because  he  heard  the 
meanings  of  the  storm  which  was  about  to  burst  upon 
France,  and  despaired  of  being  able  to  avert  it. 
Already,  in  November,  1828,  his  Majesty  had  named 
him  Counsellor  of  State,  and  authorized  him  to  take 
part  in  the  deliberations  of  the  Council,  and  in  the 
business  of  the  various  committees  composing  it.  This 
year,  1830,  he  added  to  this  title  one  of  the  most 
honorable  which  a  king  of  France  can  confer;  he 
appointed  him  a  commander  of  the  order  of  the  Holy 


COMMANDER  OF  THE  ORDER  OP  THE  HOLY  GHOST.  231 

Ghost ;  and  this  appointment,  which  was  conferred 
at  the  same  time  on  Monseigneur  de  Quelen,  Arch- 
bishop of  Paris,  was  the  last  made  by  Charles  the 
Tenth.  M.  de  Peyronnet,  then  Minister  of  the  In- 
terior, was  commissioned  to  announce  this  honorable 
promotion  to  Archbishop  Cheverus,  and  he  did  it 
with  the  more  pleasure,  because  he  loved  and  es- 
teemed him.  More  than  once  he  had  opened  to 
him  his  heart,  with  the  most  unreserved  confidence 
and  friendship,  and  was  always  heard  with  tender  in- 
terest, favored  with  judicious  counsel,  and  found  conso- 
lation under  the  severe  afflictions  that  often  wrung  his 
heart.  Alas !  he  did  not  then  foresee  all  those  troubles 
with  which  the  future  was  so  soon  to  overwhelm  him. 
"  The  Blue  Ribhon,^^  he  said  in  his  letter  to  the 
Archbishop,  "will  add  nothing  to  your  virtue  and 
merit ;  but  it  will  prove  that  the  King  is  acquainted 
with  them,  values  them,  and  delights  to  honor  them." 
The  Archbishop  received  this  notice  with  gratitude 
for  the  kindness  of  the  King,  but  with  indifference 
as  it  regarded  himself  personally.  His  mind  was  at 
that  time  wholly  intent  on  the  storm  which  he  saw 
gathering  over  France  ;  he  looked  forward  with  ap- 
prehension to  the  moment  when  it  should  burst  upon 
his  country  ;  and  this  apprehension  cast  a  shade  of 
sadness  over  his  soul,  which  prevented  him  from  giving 
himself  up  to  any  enjoyment.  "  We  have,"  said 
he,  "  fallen  upon  such  evil  days,  society  is  in  a  state 
of  such  fearful  crisis,  that  every  sentiment  of  charity 


232  LIFE  OF    CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

must  be  dead  before  we  can  be  moved  by  personal 
interests.  Public  misfortunes  alone  ought  to  affect 
us."  Some  time  after,  the  important  news  of  the 
taking  of  Algiers  by  the  French  army  reached  Bor- 
deaux. The  Archbishop  rejoiced  at  it,  as  did  all 
good  Frenchmen,  and  all  friends  of  humanity  ;  but 
his  joy  was  by  no  means  triumphant ;  victory  abroad 
did  not  seem  to  him  a  pledge  of  peace  at  home,  and 
the  result  proved  but  too  well  that  his  view  of  the 
state  of  society  was  correct. 


MAINTAINS   PEACE    IN    HIS    DIOCESE.  233 


BOOK    FOURTH. 

LIFE  OP  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS,  FROM   THE   REVOLUTION   OF 
JULY,  1830,  TO  HIS   LAST  ILLNESS. 

We  have  now  reached  the  last  epoch  in  the  hfe 
of  Archbishop  Cheverus.  This,  Hke  the  preceding, 
but  still  more  remarkably,  was  fruitful  in  good  works, 
in  tribulation,  and  in  testimonies  of  esteem  and  vene- 
ration from  all  men.  Amidst  the  troubles  that  agi- 
tated France  at  the  commencement  of  this  period,  and 
which  it  is  not  our  province  to  record,  the  Archbishop 
of  Bordeaux  first  signalized  his  wisdom  by  the  peace 
he  maintained  throughout  his  diocese,  and  the  perfect 
tranquillity  which  his  priests,  without  exception,  were 
enabled  to  enjoy,  as  in  the  most  prosperous  times. 
The  new  authorities  established  at  Bordeaux,  like  the 
former,  entertaining  that  profound  respect  for  him 
which  was  the  common  sentiment  with  men  of  differ- 
ent opinions,  as  well  as  of  all  classes,  esteemed  it  an 
honor  and  a  duty  to  consult  him  and  act  in  concert 
with  him.  The  Archbishop  responded  to  these  man- 
ifestations of  good-will  by  courteous  conduct,  and  en- 
deavoured to  turn  to  the  advantage  of  religion  the 
consideration  and  respect  that  were  felt  for  him  per- 
sonally. The  best  understanding  subsisted,  at  least 
20* 


234  LIFE  OP  CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

subsequently  to  1831,  between  the  authorities  and  him, 
as  well  as  among  the  different  authorities  themselves. 
A  more  entire  union,  a  more  perfect  concurrence  of 
views  and  of  efforts  to  do  good,  could  not  be  de- 
sired ;  and  the  Archbishop  was  the  soul  of  this  har- 
mony, the  bond  of  this  union,  and  the  centre  of  all 
hearts.  Hence  resulted  this  remarkable  consequence  ; 
that,  while  the  rest  of  France  was  in  a  state  of  agita- 
tion and  disturbance,  and  in  almost  every  part  of  it 
the  very  earth  seemed  to  tremble  beneath  men's  feet, 
the  diocese  of  Bordeaux  continued  always  quiet  and 
peaceable,  its  clergy  honored  and  respected,  and  its 
Archbishop  venerated  and  beloved  by  all.  All  meas- 
ures, even  in  the  slightest  degree  important  to  the  pub- 
lic good,  were  adopted  in  concert  with  him.  He  was 
summoned  to  deliberate  upon  them,  and  requested  to 
preside  at  the  meetings.  All  affairs,  in  which  any  of 
the  clergy  were  interested  or  involved,  were  referred 
entirely  to  his  decision  ;  he  was  the  final  judge  and 
arbiter  of  them ;  so  great  was  the  fear  of  paining  him 
by  giving  pain  to  his  clergy,  or  by  the  adoption  of  any 
measure  that  might  be  unpleasant  to  him. 

Archbishop  Cheverus  was  held  in  the  same  high 
consideration  at  Paris  as  at  Bordeaux  ;  great  respect 
was  there  paid  to  his  opinions,  and  his  influence  was 
powerful.  Reserved  as  he  was,  and  little  disposed 
to  put  himself  forward,  or  to  mingle  in  affairs  that 
were  not  immediately  connected  with  the  duties  of 
his  office,  he  availed  himself  but  little  of  this  influ- 


HIS  INFLUENCE  WITH   THE  GOVERNMENT.  235 

ence ;  but  when  he  did  exert  it,  it  was  almost  always 
with  success,  for  the  good  of  the  church  and  the  ben- 
efit of  religion.  It  is  well  known,  that,  in  the  com- 
mencement of  the  revolution,  it  was  proposed  to  re- 
quire of  priests  in  office,  as  well  as  of  public  function- 
aries, the  oath  of  fidelity  to  the  new  government.  On 
the  first  hint  of  this  intention  that  reached  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Bordeaux,  he  hastened  to  write  to  an  influ- 
ential personage,  convinced  him  that  this  measure 
was  alike  impolitic  and  disastrous;  that  it  would 
embarrass  the  government,  disturb  the  clergy,  and 
alarm  the  people ;  and  that  the  consequence  would 
be  a  division  like  that  of  the  priests  who  took  and 
those  who  declined  taking  the  oath  in  the  time  of  the 
first  revolution.  "  I  will  be  answerable  for  my  cler- 
gy," said  he,  "  if  the  oath  is  not  demanded ;  but  if  it 
is,  I  will  answer  for  nothing."  This  letter  was  submit- 
ted to  the  inspection  of  the  King,  and  was  effectual. 
It  was  immediately  decreed  that  the  oath  should  not  be 
demanded ;  and  the  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux  had  the 
consolation  of  having  rendered  an  immense  service  to 
the  church  of  France,  by  preventing  all  the  evils  that 
would  have  resulted  from  exacting  the  oath. 

The  high  consideration  in  which  Archbishop  Chev- 
erus  was  everywhere  held,  inspired  many  members 
of  the  government  with  the  idea  and  the  wish  of  re- 
instating him  in  the  dignity  of  a  peer  of  France,  of 
which  he  had  been  divested  by  the  revolution  of 
July ;  of  calhng  him  to  Paris,  and  associating  him 
with  the  new  order  of  things.     It  appears,  even,  that 


236  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

the  deputies  of  the  department  of  the  Gironde  had 
earnestly  soHcited  for  him  the  honors  of  office  ;  and  the 
Archbishop  had  every  reason  to  fear  that  he  should 
be  forced  from  his  retreat.  He  had  already  been 
sounded  on  this  subject,  and,  fearing  lest  the  mani- 
festation of  reluctance  on  his  part  would  not  suffice 
to  prevent  all  the  designs  that  might  be  formed  in 
relation  to  him,  he  wished  to  put  a  stop  at  once  to 
all  these  attempts,  and  published  in  the  journals  of 
the  capital  a  solemn  declaration,  in  which  he  an- 
nounced his  firm  determination  to  accept  of  no  office 
in  the  state,  and  to  live  and  die  in  the  midst  of  his 
flock,  aloof  from  the  career  of  politics,  wholly  devoted 
to  his  ministry  of  peace,  of  charity,  and  of  union.* 

It  is  well  worthy  of  notice,  that  the  Archbishop  of 
Bordeaux  was  everywhere  beloved,  courted,  and  hon- 
ored. The  new  government,  like  the  former,  was  de- 
sirous that  he  should  be  connected  with  it ;  and  yet 
the  Archbishop  had  done  nothing  with  a  view  to  ob- 
tain this  high  consideration  ;  he  had  not  purchased 
it  by  any  concession  which  was  not  common  to  him 

*  Declaration  of  the  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux. 
"Without  approving  the  exclusion  pronounced  against 
the  peers  created  by  Charles  the  Tenth,  I  rejoice  to  find 
myself  removed  from  a  political  career,  and  have  firmly 
resolved  not  to  return  to  it,  nor  to  accept  of  any  situation  or 
ofiice.  My  desire  is  to  remain  in  the  midst  of  my  flock,  and 
there  continue  to  exercise  a  ministry  of  charity,  of  peace,  and 
of  union.  I  shall  preach  submission  to  the  government,  and 
set  the  example  of  it ;  and  my  clergy  and  myself  will  never 


HIS  FREEDOM  FROM  AMBITIOUS  MOTIVES.  237 

with  the  whole  episcopal  body ;  he  had  not  sought 
it  by  any  act  whatever ;  he  never  spoke  to  the  King 
before  the  day  on  which  he  received  the  badges 
of  the  cardinalship  ;  he  did  not  appear  in  Paris  un- 
til this  ceremony  obliged  him  to  take  a  journey  to 
that  city  ;  he  had  even  allowed  himself  in  several 
acts  which  might  have  given  offence  to  the  govern- 
ment. His  declaration,  and  the  publicity  he  had  giv- 
en it,  had  displeased  many  persons,  and  the  author- 
ities of  Bordeaux  even  came  to  complain  to  him  of  it. 
During  the  captivity  of  the  Duchess  of  Berry  in  the 
citadel  of  Blaye,  he  had  asked  permission  to  visit  her, 
and  offer  her  the  consolations  of  his  ministry  ;  and, 
finally,  he  had  even  not  disguised  his  sentiments  in 
relation  to  Charles  the  Tenth.  "  I  should  be  unwor- 
thy of  your  esteem,"  he  said  to  the  authorities  of  his 
episcopal  city,  "  if  I  should  conceal  from  you  my 
affection  for  the  fallen  family  ;  and  you  must  despise 
me  as  an  ungrateful  man,  for  Charles  the  Tenth  has 
loaded  me  with  kindnesses." 

But  there  was  one  thing  in  Archbishop  Cheverus, 

cease  to  pray,  with  the  people  of  our  charge,  for  the  prosperity 
of  our  beloved  country. 

"  I  feel  more  and  more  attached  to  the  inhabitants  of  Bor- 
deaux ;  I  thank  them  for  the  friendship  they  have  testified 
towards  me.  It  is  the  wish  of  my  heart  to  live  and  die  among 
them ;  but  without  any  other  titles  than  those  of  their  Arch- 
bishop and  their  friend. 

"  -^  John,  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux. 

'^Bordeaux,  August  19lh,  1830." 


238  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

which  commanded  esteem,  confidence,  and  venera- 
tion ;  namely,  that  a  boundless  charity,  which  embrac- 
ed in  the  same  love  men  of  all  opinions,  constituted 
his  only  political  creed.  It  never  entered  his  mind,  that 
we  should  love  any  one  the  less,  because  his  opinions 
or  views  were  different  from  our  own,  as  if  on  that 
account  he  ceased  to  be  our  brother  in  Jesus  Christ,  or 
were  not  comprehended  in  the  grand  precept,  "  Love 
one  another  as  I  have  loved  you.^^  He  also  treated 
with  equal  kindness  men  of  all  parties  ;  he  regarded 
them  only  as  members  of  his  diocese,  as  brethren  and 
friends  ;  and  it  was  his  happiness  to  see  men  of  all 
opinions  meet  as  brethren  at  his  own  table,  or  at 
the  houses  of  his  priests  in  his  pastoral  circuits.  On 
these  occasions,  like  his  exemplar  St.  John,  he  re- 
peated  to  them  his  favorite  maxim,  '*  Let  us  love  one 
another.  If  our  minds  are  divided  in  opinion,  let  all 
our  hearts  be  joined  in  the  sentiment  of  mutual  char- 
ity ;  let  us  be  united."  No  one  could  help  loving 
politics  like  these,  derived  wholly  from  the  gospel ; 
and,  in  reality.  Archbishop  Cheverus  had  no  other. 

Because  he  had  passed  twenty-seven  years  in 
America,  happy  and  tranquil  under  a  republican 
government,  which  declared  him  one  of  its  best  cit- 
izens, many  believed  him  to  be  the  partisan  of  lib- 
eral political  institutions  ;  but  Archbishop  Cheverus 
never  indulged  in  theories  of  his  own  upon  the  best 
form  of  government ;  he  considered  these  deep  social 
problems  as  placed  far  above  the  reach  of  his  under- 


HIS  CONDUCT   IN  REFERENCE  TO  POLITICS.  239 

standing,  and  he  professed  to  know  nothing  about 
them,^  In  practice,  he  adhered  to  the  general  prin- 
ciple followed  by  the  church  in  all  ages,  of  respect- 
ing the  government  under  which  he  lived,  whatever 
it  might  be,  and  of  maintaining,  as  far  as  possible, 
friendly  relations  with  it,  f  because  religion  and  soci* 
ety  suffer  from  the  disunion  of  these  two  powers,  as 
much  as  they  gain  by  their  agreement.  Besides,  con- 
ceiving that,  as  bishop,  he  ought  to  be  the  pastor,  the 
father,  and  the  friend  of  all,  since  he  was  called  to 
labor  for  the  salvation  of  all,  he  wished  to  merge  his 
political  character,  that  he  might  appear  only  in  that  of 
a  friend.  Hence  the  silence  always  observed  at  the 
archiepiscopal  palace  respecting  politics ;  he  never 
spoke  of  them  himself,  nor  suffered  them  to  be  men- 
tioned in  his  presence.  And  hence  his  care  never  to 
say  any  thing  about  them,  either  directly  or'indirectly 

*  These  are  his  oAvn  expressions.  As  to  the  free  govern- 
ment of  the  United  States,  he  acknowledged  that  he  was  sat- 
isfied with  it ;  but  added,  at  the  same  time,  that  to  attempt  to  in- 
troduce such  a  system  into  France,  with  the  ideas  and  manners 
that  prevailed  there,  would  be  to  introduce  anarchy  and  confu- 
sion. "  In  France,"  he  said,  "  they  do  not  understand  at  all 
what  liberty  is  ;  every  one  desires  liberty  for  himself  and  those 
of  his  own  opinion ;  but  restraint  and  oppression  for  others, 
and  especially  for  the  clergy."  ^ 

f  The  observance  of  this  principle  is  a  striking  fact  in  the 
history  of  the  church :  See,  among  other  examples,  1st.  What 
is  related  in  the  History  of  the  Gallican  church,  (Vol.  I.  Book  2, 
year  383,)  concerning  the  conduct  of  the  Bishops  of  Spain 
and  Gaul,  and  of  St.  Martin  himself  towards  the  tyrant  Maxi- 


240  LIFE   OP  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

in  his  public  discourses,  if  we  except  two  instances 
only,  when  he  thought  that  circumstances  demanded 
a  departure  from  this  principle.  He  preached  only 
the  gospel  and  charity  ;  he  was  a  man  of  heaven, 
who  revealed  its  mysteries,  who  explained  its  laws; 
but  never  did  he  stoop  to  become  a  man  of  the  earth, 
never  did  he  degrade  the  Holy  Word  so  far  as  to  in- 
troduce it,  like  the  word  of  man,  into  the  vortex  of 
varying  opinions  which  divide  the  children  of  men. 

What  the  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux  practised  so 
well  himself,  he  endeavoured  on  all  occasions  to  incul- 
cate upon  his  priests.  "  We  are  permitted  to  regret," 
he  said  to  them ;  *'  we  are  obliged  to  give  an  account 
of  our  affections  only  to  God,  and  the  heart  is  a  sanc- 
tuary into  which  men  have  no  right  to  look  ;  but  we 
are  responsible  for  our  actions  and  our  words.    Let  us 

mus.  2nd.  The  letter  of  St.  Ambrose  (Ep.  LVII.  ad  Eugen.) 
to  the  tyrant  Eugenius,  who  had  caused  Valentinian  the 
younger  to  be  assassinated,  that  he  might  reign  in  his  stead, 
and  especially  the  last  paragraph  of  that  letter.  3d.  The 
letter  of  St.  Gregory  the  Great  to  Phocas,  (Lib.  XIII.  In- 
dict, vi. ;  Ep.  XXXI.  ad  Phocam.)  who  had  massacred  the 
Emperor  Maurice  with  his  wife  and  children,  and  what  Fleury 
relates  of  the  conduct  of  that  holy  Pope  on  this  occasion ; 
Hist.  Eccl.  Vol.  III.  Book  36,  n.  45.  4th.  The  Proch  Verhaux 
of  the  assemblies  of  the  French  clergy.  Vol.  III.  p.  686,  et.  seq. 
—  Ibid.  Pieces  Justijlcatives,  pp.  90,  91,  where  is  found  the 
remarkable  reply  of  Gregory  XIII.,  which  has  ever  since 
served  as  a  rule  of  conduct  to  the  Holy  See. 


DIMINUTION   OF   HIS   INCOME.  241 

be  watchful,  therefore,  that  we  neither  do  nor  say  any 
thing  which  may  be  laid  hold  upon.  The  clergy,"  he 
went  on  to  say,  "should  keep  themselves  free  from 
all  political  party  spirit,  that  they  may  be  in  a  condi- 
tion to  fulfil  their  mission  of  peace  and  charity,  under 
any  form  of  government  whatever.  We  ought  not  to 
give  occasion  to  any  existing  party  to  regard  us  as 
enemies,  since  we  are  called  to  save  men  of  all 
parties." 

Thus  did  charity,  united  with  prudence,  prompt  the 
counsels,  as  well  as  regulate  the  conduct  of  Arch- 
bishop Cheverus ;  and,  thanks  to  the  wise  suggestions 
of  these  combined  virtues,  he  was  able,  after  1830, 
the  same  as  before,  to  devote  himself  in  peace  to  his 
love  of  good  works.  He  engaged  in  new  ones,  and 
neglected  none  already  undertaken.  Among  those 
of  the  latter  class,  the  revolution  of  July  had  af- 
fected but  one  ;  it  diminished  his  charities,  by  de- 
priving him  of  twenty-two  thousand  livres  annually, 
in  consequence  of  the  retrenchment  made  by  the 
Chambers  in  the  emoluments  of  the  clergy.  Nev- 
ertheless, in  order  that  the  poor  might  suffer  as 
little  as  possible  from  this  diminution  of  income,  he 
made  the  most  rigid  retrenchments  in  the  expenses 
of  his  household  ;  he  retained  only  a  single  servant  to 
attend  upon  him  in  church,  on  his  journeys,  and  in 
his  palace ;  reduced  the  expenses  of  his  table,  al- 
ready very  frugal,  as  much  as  decency  would  permit ; 
and  denied  himself  things  which  seemed  the  most  in- 
21 


242  LIFE  OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

dispensable;  even  going  on  foot  over  muddy  roads, 
and  defying  rains  and  snows,  choosing  to  endure 
privations  himself,  rather  than  that  the  poor  should 
suffer. 

Although  thus  straitened,  his  table  was  still  open 
every  day  to  all  his  clergy.  "  Had  I  but  a  morsel 
of  bread,"  he  said  to  them,  "  I  would  invite  you  to 
share  it  with  me."  He  even  continued,  as  before, 
to  invite  to  it  the  laity  of  his  diocese  and  strangers, 
and  it  was  still  as  much  thronged  as  ever.  Indeed, 
in  order  to  secure  more  guests,  he  fixed  his  dinner 
hour  at  twelve  o'clock,  such  an  arrangement  being 
recommended  by  two  considerations  equally  worthy 
of  his  kind  disposition.  In  the  first  place,  it  was  a 
more  convenient  hour  for  his  priests,  who  were  obliged 
to  return  in  the  evening  to  their  parishes,  sometimes 
a  great  distance  ;  and,  secondly,  it  enabled  him,  not- 
withstanding the  diminution  of  his  resources,  to  receive 
daily  at  his  table,  the  rich  and  the  honorable  of  the 
world,  by  offering  them  his  simple  and  frugal  repast 
as  a  breakfast;  and,  in  this  way,  to  maintain  with  all 
the  subjects  of  his  diocese  the  most  intimate  and 
friendly  relations.  It  was  a  delight  to  him  to  see 
the  great  and  the  wealthy  leave  their  own  sumptuous 
tables,  to  come  and  sit  down  at  his,  and  he  thanked 
them  for  it  with  the  utmost  grace  and  delicacy.  He 
liked,  especially,  to  welcome  to  his  table  those  whom 
the  revolution  of  July  had  cast  down  from  a  high  rank, 
and  driven  from  the  very  steps  of  the  throne.    *'  When 


.^•; 


HIS   INTEREST  IN   THE  ROYAL  COLLEGE.  243 

you  were  at  the  height  of  power,"  he  said  to  them, 
"  I  saw  you  but  rarely,  and  in  a  ceremonious  way, 
because  I  might  have  appeared  to  be  seeking  favor; 
now,  we  see  each  other  often  and  intimately,  be- 
cause you  are  in  trouble,  and  the  heart  alone, 
free  from  any  interested  views,  regulates  our  inter- 
course."    - 

The  Government,  which  could  not  be  ignorant  of 
his  conduct,  was  not  offended  by  it ;  and  it  has  since 
been  known  that  the  King  intended,  at  that  very 
time,  to  solicit  for  him  from  the  Holy  See  a  cardi- 
nal's hat.  But  the  occupation  of  Ancona  by  the 
French  troops  having,  about  this  time,  seriously  of- 
fended the  Sovereign  Pontiff,  and  given  rise  to  pro- 
tracted negotiations,  all  thought  of  asking  favors  was 
necessarily  renounced,  and  the  nomination  of  Arch- 
bishop Cheverus  was  indefinitely  postponed. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux 
was  devoting  himself  to  pursuits  far  more  dear  to  his 
heart  than  all  earthly  grandeur  and  dignities.  Deeply 
interested  in  the  future  destinies  of  France,  and  con- 
sidering them  as  essentially  dependent  on  the  edu- 
cation given  in  the  colleges  to  that  portion  of  the 
youth,  which  would  one  day  be  called  by  its  social 
position  to  the  various  offices  of  the  state,  he  took 
measures  in  concert  with  the  principal  of  the  Royal 
College,  a  priest  no  less  commendable  for  his  pru- 
dence and  firmness  than  for  his  zeal  and  learning,  to 
promote  the  cause  of  religion  and  piety  in  his  estab- 


244  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CIIEVERUS. 

lisliment.  He  first  sent  one  of  his  priests  to  give 
the  young  men  serious  and  argumentative  discourses 
upon  religion,  its  evidences,  and  doctrines.  Some 
time  after,  the  place  of  chaplain  of  the  college  hav- 
ing become  vacant,  he  offered  it  to  several  of  the 
most  learned  priests  of  his  diocese,  and,  on  their 
begging  leave  to  decline,  he  conferred  it  upon  his 
own  nephew,  the  Abbe  George.  This  worthy  priest 
devoted  himself  entirely  to  this  great  work,  pursued 
it  with  ardor  and  constancy,  and  neglected  no  means 
of  insuring  success.  The  Archbishop  joined  his  own 
efforts  to  those  of  his  nephew.  He  not  only  encour- 
aged the  students  by  proposing  a  walk  to  his  country- 
house  as  a  reward  for  the  most  meritorious,  who  there 
found  games,  refreshments,  repasts,  and,  indeed,  what- 
ever could  contribute  to  the  enjoyment  of  a  party  of 
pleasure  ;  but  he  also  went  himself  to  the  college  to 
instruct  the  youth.  Every  year,  he  celebrated  the 
festival  of  its  patron  saint,  and  officiated  at  the  first 
communion ;  and  on  these  occasions,  he  addressed 
them  in  the  most  appropriate  discourses,  always  adapt- 
ed to  the  nature  of  their  studies.  Now,  he  showed 
them,  after  the  manner  of  St.  Basil,  the  profit  a  Chris- 
tian may  and  ought  to  derive  from  reading  profane  au- 
thors ;  again,  preaching  on  a  moral  subject,  he  support- 
ed his  doctrine  by  the  wisest  reflections  of  profane 
poets  and  orators,  Greek  and  Latin,  upon  the  point  in 
question.  "  These  are  my  Holy  Fathers,"  said  he, 
sportively,  "  when   I  preach  at  college."     In  fact,  it 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  THE  COLLEGE.         245 

may  be  said  that  his  discourses  were  thoroughly  im- 
bued with  the  authors  upon  whom  the  young  men 
were  then  engaged  ;  and  it  was  evident  that  he  was 
still  as  familiar  with  them  in  his  later  years,  as  in 
his  early  youth.  Such  labors  and  efforts,  seconded 
by  the  zeal  of  the  principal,  were  not  in  vain.  The 
Royal  College  of  Bordeaux  became  a  house  of 
edification,  a  school  where  religion  was  i^ot  only 
honored  but  practised,  to  such  an  extent,  that,  the 
last  time  the  Archbishop  visited  it,  he  administered 
the  holy  communion  to  a  hundred  and  forty  students, 
all  full  of  faith  and  devotion,  their  countenances 
beaming  with  the  delightful  expression  of  the  in- 
ward contentment,  with  which  their  souls  were 
overflowing.  This  scene  affected  the  Archbishop 
even  to  tears;  and,  the  evening  after  this  touching 
ceremony,  one  of  the  students  having  offered  him, 
in  an  address  full  of  feeling,  the  general  expression 
of  their  gratitude,  he  could  reply  only  by  weeping 
again.  "  My  dear  children,"  he  said  to  them,  "  my 
answer  flows  from  my  eyes."  He  then  blessed  them 
and  retired,  declaring  that  this  day  was  one  of  the 
happiest  and  most  consolatory  of  his  episcopal  life. 

The  interest  of  Archbishop  Cheverus  in  the  right 
education  of  youth  was  so  great,  that  he  did  not  dis- 
dain to  take  upon  himself  even  the  most  humble  and 
laborious  duties.  Having  learned,  that,  at  the  normal 
school  for  mutual  instruction,  a  Protestant  minister 
21* 


246  LIFE    OF  CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

was  giving  lessons  to  the  pupils,  under  the  title  of 
Professor  of  Religious  Morality,  and  foreseeing  dif- 
culty,  or  at  least  delay,  in  removing  this  danger- 
ous teacher,  and  putting  a  Catholic  priest  in  his 
place,  he  undertook  to  go  himself  to  this  institution 
several  times  a  week,  to  give  lessons  on  religious 
morality,  or  rather  to  teach  the  catechism,  which 
contains  the  only  true,  the  only  sound  morality ;  and 
he  performed  this  humble  office  with  such  scrupu- 
lous punctuality,  that,  one  day,  being  prevented,  by  a 
meeting  of  the  council  at  the  archiepiscopal  palace, 
from  going  at  the  precise  time,  he  wrote  to  the 
master  of  the  establishment,  to  inform  him  that  im- 
portant business  obliged  him  to  defer  the  lesson  for 
a  quarter  of  an  hour. 

But  other  events  soon  opened  a  new  career  to 
his  active  benevolence.  This  was  the  period  when 
the  cholera  made  such  frightful  ravages  in  Paris,  and 
in  various  other  cities  of  France.  The  people  were 
everywhere  in  fear  of  being  visited  by  this  scourge, 
and  were  taking  every  precaution,  that  the  sick  might 
receive  the  most  prompt  assistance  in  case  it  should 
arrive.  With  this  view,  the  authorities  of  the  city 
of  Bordeaux  proposed  to  establish  a  house  of  relief 
in  each  quarter,  where  those  attacked  by  the  cholera 
might  be  received  and  attended,  until  they  could  be 
tr?»nsferred  to  the  general  hospital.  A  suitable  house 
had  already  been  found  in  all  the  different  quarters, 
except  the  third,  in  which  the  archiepiscopal  palace  is 


ins  BENEVOLENCE  DURING  THE  CHOLERA.     247 

situated,  and  in  which  the  city  authorities  had  in  vain 
sought  a  situation.  The  Archbishop,  learning  this, 
immediately  hastened  to  offer  his  palace,  declaring 
that  he  should  esteem  himself  hajppy  and  honored  to 
have  it  converted  into  a  hospital  for  his  sick  breth- 
ren, and  also  to  serve  them  himself  as  an  attendant, 
in  case  of  need.  All  the  city  authorities,  deeply  af- 
fected by  so  generous  an  offer,  which  they  accepted 
with  gratitude,  came  in  a  body  to  thank  the  prelate, 
who  had  shown  himself  so  truly  the  pastor  and  the 
father  of  his  people.  Beds  were  carried  to  the  archi- 
episcopal  palace,  with  whatever  was  necessary  to  the 
care  of  the  sick ;  and  over  the  gate  of  entrance  were 
inscribed  these  words,  House  of  Relief,  A  glorious 
inscription,  and  well  worthy  to  adorn  an  episcopal 
palace  ;  and  which,  at  all  times  and  in  all  places, 
before  and  after  the  cholera  as  well  as  during  the 
continuance  of  that  scourge,  at  Boston  and  at  Mont- 
auban  as  well  as  at  Bordeaux,  might  have  designated 
the  dwelling  of  Archbishop  Cheverus.  Thanks  to 
the  goodness  of  Providence,  which  permitted  that 
malady  barely  to  appear  in  the  city,  there  was  no 
necessity  for  resorting  to  these  houses  of  relief.  Very 
few  of  the  inhabitants  were  attacked,  and  they  could 
be  immediately  attended  to  at  the  general  hospital. 
Prevented  from  receiving  them  at  his  own  residence, 
the  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux  visited  them  almost 
every   day,   expressed    his   pity  for   their   sufferings, 


248  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

and  addressed  to  each  words  of  kindness,  interest,  and 
consolation. 

Several  having  died  in  consequence  of  the  malady, 
an  absurd  report  of  their  having  been  poisoned  cir- 
culated among  the  people  ;  murmurs  already  began 
to  be  heard,  and  the  affrighted  magistrates  feared 
that  an  insurrection  would  be  the  consequence.  In 
their  solicitude,  they  applied  to  the  Archbishop, 
praying  him  to  exert  his  influence  to  do  away  these 
odious  suspicions.  "  The  poor,"  they  said  to  him, 
"  are  accustomed  to  listen  to  you ;  we  need  your 
voice  to  aid  us."  He  yielded  to  their  request  the 
more  readily,  as  the  Sisters  of  Charity  were  impli- 
cated in  this  calumny.  To  touch  these  angels  of 
beneficence  was  touching  the  apple  of  his  eye.  He 
immediately  took  his  pen,  and  wrote  a  justification  of 
them  in  a  pastoral  letter  full  of  power  and  energy. 
"  The  daughters  of  St.  Vincent  poison  you  !"  said  he. 
"  Ah  !  sooner  would  they  themselves  suck  the  poison 
from  your  wounds,  if  that  were  necessary  to  save 
you."  The  next  day,  from  the  pulpit  of  the  church 
of  St.  Eulaha,  he  refuted  all  these  absurd  reports,  and 
from  that  day  they  ceased,  and  the  people  were 
ashamed  of  having  listened  to  or  repeated  them. 

This  was  not  the  only  time  that  the  civil  author- 
ity called  the  Archbishop  to  its  assistance,  and  ex- 
perienced the  salutary  effects  of  his  influence.  The 
cholera  having  raged  with  violence  at  the  poor-house. 


SUPPRESSES   SEDITION.  249 

and  carried  off  a  great  number  of  its  unfortunate  in- 
mates, those  who  remained  mutinied,  and  committed 
acts  of  violence  in  order  to  obtain  their  discharge. 
The  magistrates  called  upon  the  Archbishop  to  inter- 
pose his  mild  yet  potent  authority,  as  the  surest  means 
of  re-establishing  order.  He  went  to  the  house,  spoke 
to  all  the  paupers  with  kindness  and  power,  silenced 
their  murmurs,  removed  their  prejudices,  and  such 
was  the  efficacy  of  his  words,  that,  from  that  mo- 
ment, quietness  and  peace  constantly  prevailed  in 
the  establishment.  "  If  I  had  not  been  able  to  pacify 
them,"  he  said,  on  his  return  from  this  visit,  "  I 
would  have  brought  them  back  with  me  to  my  palace  ; 
I  would  have  kept  them  there,  and  even  have  taken 
care  of  them,  if  the  disease  had  attacked  them." 

Another  insurrection,  more  difficult  to  quell,  threat- 
ened to  break  out  about  the  same  time  among  the  pris- 
oners confined  in  the  fortress  of  Ha.  These  wretched 
men  had  taken  it  into  their  heads,  that  the  revolu- 
tion of  July  was  to  be  an  era  of  liberty  to  them,  to 
break  their  chains,  and  throw  open  their  prison ;  and, 
impatient  that  the  expected  day  of  deliverance  did 
not  arrive,  they  wished  to  take  the  matter  into  their 
own  hands,  and  to  obtain  their  freedom  by  force. 
The  sedition  was  on  the  point  of  proceeding  to  ex- 
tremity, when  the  Archbishop,  whom  the  authorities 
had  informed  of  it,  and  requested  to  interpose,  ar- 
rived at  the  prison.     He  addressed  them  in  words  of 


250  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

peace,  gentleness,  and  wisdom  ;  represented  to  these 
unhappy  men  the  injury  they  were  about  to  do  them- 
selves in  aggravating  their  punishment  by  a  new  crime  ; 
and,  in  the  name  of  God,  preached  to  them  order, 
peace,  and  resignation.  The  voice  of  the  good  pastor 
was  heard,  all  became  submissive,  and  religion  had  the 
glory  of  bringing  under  its  control  these  guilty  men, 
who  would  perhaps  only  have  offered  still  more  resist- 
ance had  force  been  employed. 

Soon  after  this  critical  period,  which  was  an  occa- 
sion of  triumph  and  honor  to  religion.  Archbishop 
Cheverus  was  called  to  endure  a  very  severe  loss. 
The  See  of  Montauban  was  vacant;  and  a  very 
strong  desire  was  felt  to  appoint  to  that  situation  his 
worthy  friend  and  grand-vicar,  the  Abbe  de  Trelissac, 
who  had  left  all  at  Montauban  to  follow  him,  and 
who  was,  at  Bordeaux,  the  confidant  of  all  his 
thoughts,  the  depositary  of  his  sorrows,  and  whom 
he  loved  like  another  self.  The  Abbe  refused  the 
appointment  in  the  most  decided  manner,  and  the 
Archbishop  for  some  time  indulged  the  hope  of  re- 
taining him.  But  at  length  the  importunities  were 
so  earnest,  and  the  motives  for  consenting  so  urgent 
and  unanswerable,  that  his  apprehensions  were  realized. 
M.  de  Trelissac  bowed  his  head  to  the  burden,  which, 
in  spite  of  himself,  was  imposed  upon  him,  and  the 
separation  was  decided  upon.  Still  the  Archbishop  of 
Bordeaux  did  not  manifest  all  the  regret  he  felt ;  he 


CONSECRATES   SEVERAL   BISHOPS.  251 

dissembled  his  own  grief,  that  he  might  endeavour  to 
console  his  worthy  friend,  who  was  himself  greatly  af- 
flicted, and  who  bitterly  deplored  his  promotion  ;  less 
because  it  would  remove  him  from  a  tranquil  and  pleas- 
ant life,  and  burden  him,  allhough  aged  and  infirm,  with 
the  weighty  cares  of  episcopacy,  than  because  it 
would  sever  the  dear  and  intimate  ties  that  bound 
him  to  Archbishop  Cheverus.  On  this  trying  oc- 
casion the  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux  appeared  firm, 
and  did  not  give  way  to  his  grief.  He  felt  how 
much  he  lost ;  he  made  a  great  sacrifice ;  but  he 
made  it  for  Montauban,  for  a  diocese,  the  tender 
recollection  of  which  he  ever  cherished  in  the  in- 
most recesses  of  his  heart,  and  where  he  knew  that 
blessings  followed  his  name.  There  was  no  sacrifice 
that  he  would  not  willingly  have  made  for  his  dear 
people  of  Montauban. 

His  affection  for  the  Abbe  de  Trelissac,  as  well 
as  his  attachment  to  Montauban,  made  him  wish  to 
officiate  himself  at  his  consecration,  and  to  give  to 
this  ceremony  all  possible  pomp  and  majesty.  In 
order  to  accommodate  a  greater  number  of  the  faith- 
ful, he  caused  galleries  to  be  erected  along  the  walls 
in  the  interior  of  the  cathedral ;  and,  that  they  might 
have  a  better  opportunity  to  see  the  whole,  he  had  a 
platform  raised  in  the  centre  of  the  nave,  on  which  were 
placed  two  altars,  where  the  new  bishop  was  to  be 
consecrated,  and  which  was  large  enough  to  allow  the 
ceremonies  to  be  exhibited  in  all  their  magnificence. 


252  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

In  short,  desirous  that  nothing  should  be  wanting  to 
the  splendor  of  the  festival,  he  invited  all  his  suf- 
fragan bishops  to  attend,  and  joyfully  welcomed  to 
the  celebration  the  bishops  elect  of  Tarbes  and  Saint- 
Flour,*  who  also  wished  to  receive  episcopal  con- 
secration from  his  hands ;  so  that  Bordeaux  witnessed 
a  great  and  magnificent  spectacle,  such  as  had  not 
been  seen  there  within  the  memory  of  man,  — •  the 
consecration  of  three  bishops,  the  meeting  together 
of  seven  prelates,  to  say  nothing  of  the  great  num- 
bers of  the  clergy  assembled  from  all  parts  of  that 
and  the  neighbouring  dioceses.  On  reaching  the  plat- 
form, where  the  ceremony  was  to  take  place.  Arch- 
bishop Cheverus,  struck  with  the  scene  that  his 
cathedral  then  presented,  and  the  immense  concourse 
which  filled  every  part  of  it,  could  not  restrain  his 
feelings,  and  gave  them  utterance  in  a  discourse  full 
of  noble  and  elevated  thoughts,  in  which  he  declared 
this  to  be  the  happiest  day  of  his  episcopal  life,  and 
interested  all  the  spectators  in  the  situation  of  his  vir- 
tuous friend ;  "  a  victim  who  immolated  his  affections 
as  well  as  his  regrets  to  the  glory  of  religion  ;  and," 
he  added,  "  if  he  appears  to  you  this  day  decorated 
with  the  noble  insignia  of  the  Bishop's  office,  con- 
sider that  the  more  the  victim  is  adorned,  the  greater 
is  the  sacrifice  to  which  he  is  destined."     After  this 

*  Monseigneur  Double,  Bishop  of  Tarbes,  and  Monsei- 
gneur  Cadalen,  Bishop  of  St.  Flour,  who  died  two  years 
after. 


JOY   OF    THE   BISHOPS  IN  HIS  COMPANY.  253 

discourse,  the  ceremony  commenced  immediately,  and 
was  performed  with  an  imposing  pomp  and  majesty,  and 
with  a  pious  solemnity  which  was  most  edifying;  and 
was  witnessed  by  the  numerous  spectators  with  a  si- 
lence which  proved  that  the  spirit  of  religion  and  faith 
predominated  over  the  curiosity  which  had  drawn  them 
thither.  The  ceremony  being  concluded,  the  Arch- 
bishop assembled  at  his  table  not  only  the  seven  prel- 
ates, but  also  all  the  principal  authorities  of  the  city, 
and  a  great  many  persons  of  distinction,  whom  he  de- 
lighted, with  his  wonted  liberality,  to  bring  together  as 
brethren  on  this  great  day,  notwithstanding  their  well- 
known  differences  of  opinion.  The  festival  did  not 
end  with  the  day  ;  the  bishops  were  so  happy  in  the 
society  of  their  Metropolitan,  he  appeared  to  them  so 
good  and  amiable,  that  they  wished  to  remain  several 
days.  One  of  them,  especially,  Monseigneur  de 
Lostanges,  Bishop  of  Perigueux,  could  not  contain  his 
joy  and  happiness.  Many  limes  a  day  he  fell  on  the 
neck  of  the  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux,  saying,  with 
tears  of  tenderness,  *'  Oh,  my  good  father  !  what  pleas- 
ure it  gives  me  to  be  with  you  !  These  are  the  hap- 
piest days  of  my  life  ;  I  feel  the  full  force  of  these 
words  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  '  How  good  and  how  pleas- 
ant it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity  : 
Ecce  quam  honum  et  qudm  jucundum  habiiare  fratres 
in  unuml'  "  This  was  the  first  time  that  this  worthy 
Bishop  had  seen  Archbishop  Cheverus,  and  he  had 
formed  no  idea  of  such  kindness  and  simplicity,  such 
22 


254  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

delicate  attentions,  such  amiable  cheerfulness,  as  he 
displayed;  and  he  was  particularly  struck  by  his 
putting  all  his  guests  so  perfectly  at  ease,  for  it  was 
the  wish  and  endeavour  of  the  Archbishop,  that  each 
one  should  feel  as  much  at  home  in  the  palace  as 
in  his  own  house.  The  happiness  enjoyed  by  this 
venerable  prelate  was  a  real  delight  to  the  Arch- 
bishop ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  gave  rise  to  a  reflec- 
tion worthy  of  his  excellent  heart.  *'  If  this  dear 
Bishop,"  said  he,  after  his  departure,  "has  been  so 
feelingly  alive  to  the  happiness  of  finding  a  heart  which 
loves  him  tenderly,  he  cannot  have  been  accustomed 
to  that  enjoyment.  Would  that  I  could  sooner  have 
conferred  it  upon  him!" 

When  all  the  bishops  had  returned  to  their  re- 
spective dioceses,  the  Archbishop  himself  set  off  for 
Montauban,  in  order  to  revisit  his  former  people,  and 
install  over  them,  as  their  Bishop,  his  friend  Mon- 
seigneur  de  Trtlissac.  Seven  years  had  elapsed  since 
he  left  them,  and  he  found  that  this  long  interval 
of  time,  far  from  having  cooled  their  former  friend- 
ship, had  only  quickened  their  affection.  At  the  first 
small  town  in  the  diocese  of  Montauban,  which  he 
encountered  on  his  route,  he  was  met  with  transports  of 
unutterable  joy,  and  cries  a  thousand  times  repeated  of 
"  Long  live  Archbishop  Cheverus  ! "  The  good  people 
conducted  him  to  the  church,  although  he  was  only 
passing  through  the  place,  and  invited  him  to  ad- 
dress them.     He  spoke  to  them  with  all  the  eloquence 


HIS  RECEPTION   AT   MONTAUBAN.  255 

of  a  feeling  and  grateful  heart,  and  preached  to  them 
charity  and  a  unity  of  spirit,  earnestly  reproving  cer- 
tain divisions  that  existed  in  the  parish.  At  Moissac, 
the  second  city  of  the  diocese,  the  expressions  of 
affection  were  still  stronger.  Wherever  he  appeared, 
tears  of  joy  were  on  every  cheek,  hands  were  clasped 
and  raised  towards  heaven,  and  the  close  crowd 
which  surrounded  him  followed  him  through  the 
streets,  amid  reiterated  exclamations  of  joy  and  tri- 
umph. The  Archbishop  could  not  command  himself, 
and  tears  betrayed  his  emotion.  ''^  The  good  people," 
said  he,  "  still  remember  their  poor  Bishop,  after  seven 
years'  absence,  and  love  him  as  when  he  was  in  the 
midst  of  them."  But  the  most  glorious  triumph  of 
all  awaited  him  at  Montauban.  He  had  chosen 
to  arrive  there  at  night,  to  prevent  all  public  demon- 
stration of  rejoicing ;  but,  in  spite  of  the  darkness, 
and  the  rain  that  was  falling,  the  people,  eager  to  be- 
hold again  their  father  and  fi'iend,  were  watching  for 
him  in  the  streets,  and  at  the  gates  of  the  episcopal 
palace.  As  soon  as  the  Archbishop  appeared,  there 
was  a  universal  burst  of  joy  and  delight;  they  sur- 
rounded him  as  he  was  descending  from  his  carriage, 
so  that  he  could  not  escape ;  they  kissed  his  hands 
and  his  garments,  crying,  "  Long  live  our  good  father! 
Long  live  Archbishop  Cheverus !  Oh,  how  good  he 
is !  he  loves  us  still ;  he  is  no  prouder  than  when  he 
was  among  us  1 "  The  next  morning,  there  was  again 
an  immense  crowd  from  the  gates  of  the  episcopal  pal- 


256  LIFE    OF    CARDINAL   CllEVERUS. 

ace  to  the  cathedral,  and  the  Archbishop  could  reach 
the  latter  only  by  being  borne  along,  as  it  were,  by 
the  people.  The  faithful,  eager  to  kiss  his  hands, 
strove  to  seize  them  on  the  right  and  on  the  left ;  those 
who  could  not  get  hold  of  them  kissed  his  surplice  or 
his  mantle,  and  some  were  seen  kneeling  in  the  mud, 
kissing  the  hem  of  his  cassock.  The  sio^ht  of  him 
they  loved  gave  to  the  countenances  of  all  an  inde- 
scribable expression  of  happiness.  Archbishop  Chev- 
erus  was  almost  beside  himself.  ^'  Oh  1  what  harm 
they  are  doing  me,"  said  he,  "  through  their  love  for 
me !  They  make  too  deep  an  impression  on  my 
heart."  So  that  when  he  was  obliged  to  preach  at 
vespers,  he  could  speak  of  nothing  but  love  and  charity. 
He  took  for  his  text  these  words  of  the  Evangelist : 
"  Mandatum  novum  do  vobis,  ut  diligatis  invicem  sicut 
dilexi  vos:*  A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you, 
that  ye  love  one  another  as  1  have  loved  you."  And 
he  immediately  added  these  remarkable  words  :  "  If  I 
did  not  fear  to  blaspheme,  I  would  change  the  ex- 
pressions of  my  text,  and  would  say  to  you.  Love 
one  another  as  you  have  the  goodness  to  love  me." 
It  may  be  inferred  from  this,  that  Monseigneur  de 
Trelissac  was  gladly  welcomed,  presented  as  he  was  to 
the  people  by  one  so  dear.  The  title  of  friend  of 
Archbishop  Cheverus  so  touching  to  the  hearts  of  the 
people  of  Montauban,  and  his  having  been  consecrated 
and  installed  by  him,  deepened  the  sentiments  of  af- 
*  John  xiii.  34. 


HIS  FIRST   ATTACK   OF   APOPLEXY.  257 

fection  and  respect,  which  his  own  merits,  so  long 
familiar  to  the  people  of  this  diocese,  had  inspired  ; 
and  the  two  prelates  were  regarded  with  equal  love. 
In  the  evening,  the  Archbishop  received  at  the  epis- 
copal palace  visits  from  many  persons  of  distinction, 
and  each  one  was  at  a  loss  how  to  express  the  ad- 
miration, amounting  to  enthusiasm,  with  which  the 
spectacle  of  the  day  had  inspired  him.  "  Monsei- 
gneur,"  said  one,  "I  have  a  favor  to  ask  of  you; 
permit  me  to  embrace  you,  that  I  may  boast  of  it  all 
the  rest  of  my  life."  "  I  have  written  to  the  minister," 
said  another,  *'  that,  if  the  King  should  come  to  Mont- 
auban  in  person,  he  cannot  be  more  cordially  wel- 
comed, nor  treated  with  more  attention  than  your  Grace 
has  been."  " Monseigneur,"  said  a  third,  ''you  are 
truly  king  in  this  city  ;  all  hearts,  all  wills  are  subject 
to  you ;  a  word  from  your  lips  has  more  power  over 
the  people,  than  all  the  bayonets  in  the  world." 

After  remaining  some  days.  Archbishop  Cheverus 
tore  himself  away  from  these  affectionate  friends,  and, 
urged  by  the  voice  of  duty,  returned  to  his  metropolis, 
where  he  was  soon  after  called  to  experience  a  severe 
and  unlooked-for  affliction.  Only  one  of  the  two 
grand-vicars  who  had  accompanied  him  to  Bordeaux 
now  remained  with  him,  M.  Carle,  a  venerable  old 
man,  whose  simplicity  was  equalled  only  by  his  good- 
ness ;  and,  on  Easter  day,  1834,  this  worthy  eccle- 
siastic was  suddenly  struck  dead  in  the  church,  just 
as  he  was  leaving  the  altar.  The  news  of  his  death 
22* 


258  LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

being  immediately  and  suddenly  communicated  to  the 
Archbishop,  filled  him  with  dismay ;  it  seemed  to  him 
that  all  were   abandoning  him;   and,  either  in  conse- 
quence of  natural  predisposition,  or  from  the  effect  pro- 
duced on  him  by  this  event,  he  had,  a  few  days  after, 
an  attack  of  apoplexy,  which  rendered  him  insensible 
for  several  minutes.     When  he  came  to  himself,  he 
wished  to  conceal  what  had  happened,  that  he  might 
not  alarm  his  numerous  friends  ;  but  his  fall  had  so  dis- 
figured his  face,  as  to  betray  this  sorrowful  occurrence 
to  all.     It  created  universal  alarm  ;   people  flocked  to 
the  archiepiscopal  palace  from  all  quarters  ;  and  every- 
body inquired  about  him  with  a  solicitude  which  plainly 
indicated  the  love  they  bore  him.     But  he  was  nei- 
ther alarmed  nor  dejected ;  he  regarded  this  event  as 
an  annunciation  of  his  approaching  death,  a  warning 
sent  by  Heaven  to  hold  himself  in  readiness  ;    and, 
from  that  moment,  even  more  than  before,  he  looked 
upon  all  the  things  of  this  world  as  a  fleeting  shadow, 
a  vapor  which  vanishes  away.     He  spoke  often  of  his 
old  age,  and    considered    himself  as    already  on   the 
borders  of  the  tomb.     This  impression  made  him  de- 
sirous to   appoint   as   successor   to  M.   Carle,  in  the 
office   of  grand-vicar,  a   devoted  friend,   pious,   pru- 
dent, and  wise ;    who  should  attend  him  everywhere, 
in  his    pastoral  visits,  as  well    as  in  his   own  house  ; 
and,  in  case  of  accident,  be  able  to  assist  him  with 
affection  and  fortitude,  receive  his  last  sigh,  and  exe- 
cute his  last  will  without  delay.     This  precious  friend 


APPOINTS   HIS   NEPHEW  GRAND-VICAR.  259 

was  at  hand,  in  the  person  of  his  own  nephew  ;  but  he 
was  afraid  of  appearing  to  yield  to  the  voice  of  con- 
sanguinity. The  expression  of  the  general  wish  upon 
this  subject,  clearly  manifested  by  the  solicitations  of 
many  honorable  members  of  the  clerical  body,  reas- 
sured him,  and  he  offered  the  vacant  place  to  the  Abbe 
George,  who,  equally  surprised  and  concerned,  ven- 
tured, for  the  first  time,  to  refuse  what  his  uncle  wished. 
The  Archbishop,  far  from  being  offended,  rejoiced  to 
find  in  his  nephew  such  sentiments  and  such  principles 
of  conduct;  and  declared  to  him  that  he  would 
leave  him  at  perfect  liberty ;  but  that  he  expected 
him,  as  a  wise  man,  to  ask  advice,  and  follow 
with  docility  that  which  should  be  given  him. 
M.  George  did  consult  his  friends,  and  all  were 
unanimous  in  their  opinion ;  he  was  obliged  to  yield 
to  the  wishes  of  the  Archbishop.  From  that  mo- 
ment, this  worthy  ecclesiastic  remained,  as  we  may 
say,  inseparably  at  his  uncle's  side,  full  of  sad  anxi- 
ety, because  he  tenderly  loved  him,  and  in  constant 
apprehension  of  another  attack  still  more  terrible  than 
the  first.  The  evil  so  much  dreaded  came  but  too 
soon.  Six  weeks  after,  he  had  a  second  attack,  in 
which  he  fell,  fainting  and  insensible,  upon  the  floor ; 
but,  happily,  it  was  not  attended  with  serious  con- 
sequences. The  next  day  he  was  able  to  resume 
all  his  duties ;  yet  it  increased  the  alarm  of  his 
friends,  who  apprehended  from  day  to  day  that  they 
should  lose  him.     Their  only  consolation  was  in  see- 


260  ^IFfi  OF  CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

ing  him  as  before  his  fall,  full  of  vigor,  resolution, 
and  energy ;  he  not  only  performed  the  necessary 
duties  of  his  office,  but  also  undertook  whatever  he 
was  desired  to  do,  and  embraced  every  opportunity 
of  doing  good.  The  many  pious  labors  which  remain 
for  us  to  describe  may  give  some  idea  of  this. 

One  day  a  rich  Creole  having  come  to  beg  him  to 
baptize  his  new-born  infant,  his  entreaties  and  tears 
triumphed  over  the  unwillingness  of  the  Archbishop, 
who  feared  to  hurt  the  feelings  of  many,  by  perform- 
ing for  some  what  he  could  not  do  for  all.  While 
he  was  administering  the  sacrament,  he  perceived  in 
the  church  a  poor  woman,  accompanied  by  her  poor 
relations,  holding  in  her  arms  a  young  infant,  and 
waiting  humbly  at  a  distance,  until  she  should  be 
permitted  to  present  her  child.  The  Archbishop, 
thinking  then  what  painful  feelings  the  sight  of  all  the 
honors  bestowed  upon  the  rich  infant  must  awaken  in 
these  people,  while  no  attention  seemed  to  be  paid  to 
their  own  child,  because  it  was  poor,  turned  towards 
them  and  invited  them  to  approach.  "  Come,  my 
friends,"  said  he  to  them,  "  I  will  also  perform  this 
baptism  myself,  and  honor  your  ill  clad  child,  as 
well  as  this  infant  loaded  with  rich  ornaments." 
After  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony,  the  Archbishop, 
taking  occasion  from  this  incident  to  give  some  useful 
lessons  to  the  rich  and  the  poor  who  were  present, 
said  to  them :  "  These  two  children  are  equally  great 
in  the  sight  of  God,  equally  honorable  in  his  view. 


TOUCHING  ACCOUNT  OF   TWO   BAPTISMS.  261 

equally  dear  to  his  love  ;  both  are  destined  to  the  same 
glory  in  eternity  ;  but  they  must  reach  it  by  different 
paths ;  the  rich  one  by  charity,  consoling  and  comfort- 
ing his  brethren  who  are  in  want;  the  poor,  by  an 
humble  and  laborious  life.  If  heaven  be  hereafter 
open  to  the  sufferer,  it  will  be  because  he  has  led  a 
life  of  patient  submission ;  if  to  him  who  gives  relief, 
because  he  has  shown  himself  compassionate.  To  be 
generous  will  be  the  virtue  of  the  one ;  to  be  grateful, 
that  of  the  other.  And,"  he  added,  "  both  ought  to 
begin  this  day  to  fulfil  their  destiny.  The  poor  child 
cannot  ask  kindness,  and  his  heart  is  as  yet  unconscious 
of  gratitude  ;  I  will  be  his  interpreter,  and  take  upon 
myself  the  debt  of  gratitude  for  all  the  good  you  shall 
do  him.  The  rich  child  cannot  give,  and  his  heart  as 
yet  is  unacquainted  with  generosity ;  but  you,"  said  he, 
turning  towards  the  numerous  and  brilliant  assembly 
around  him,  '*  you  are  his  representatives,  and  ought 
to  assume  the  duty  of  being  charitable  and  generous 
for  him.  Such  charity  is  the  greatest  proof  of  ten- 
derness you  can  give  him  ;  it  will  sanctify  his  en- 
trance into  hfe,  and  call  down  upon  its  whole  course 
the  blessing  of  God,  who  does  not  in  vain  call  himself 
the  Father  of  the  poor."  And  the  Archbishop  having 
proposed  a  collection  for  the  poor  child,  there  was 
not  a  single  individual  in  that  numerous  family  cir- 
cle, who  did  not  feel  it  his  duty  to  contribute.  All 
were  deeply  moved  by  the  goodness  of  the  Arch- 
bishop ;   the   fate  of  the    two   children   interested  in 


262  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

the  good  work  appealed  to  their  hearts.  The  col- 
lection was  bountiful,  and  the  Archbishop  was  enabled 
to  confer  much  happiness  ;  he  felt  great  pleasure  in 
sending  the  money  to  the  indigent  family,  who  shed 
tears  of  emotion  and  gratitude,  and  declared  that 
they  should  never  cease  to  call  down  blessings  on 
the  good  Archbishop,  and  the  wealthy  and  generous 
family. 

To  succour  misfortune  afforded  the  sweetest  enjoy- 
ment to  the  heart  of  the  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux. 
How  many  valuable  establishments  were  founded  at 
his  benevolent  suggestion,  and  sustained  by  his  coun- 
selsj  his  alms,  his  protection,  and  his  instructions  1 
One  of  the  first  was  that  for  the  young  Savoyards. 
For  a  long  time,  every  feeling  heart  had  pitied  the 
miserable  condition  of  these  poor  children,  who  came 
down  from  the  mountains  of  Auvergne  or  Savoy, 
and  were  wandering  about  the  cities  of  France,  ill 
clad,  ill  fed,  and  harshly  treated  by  inhuman  masters  ; 
and  who  yet  appeared  so  interesting,  so  artless,  with 
their  ever-smiling  faces.  To  Christians,  their  want  of 
all  religious  instruction,  and  the  dangers  of  every  kind 
to  which  these  friendless  children  were  exposed,  was 
a  subject  of  especial  lamentation.  The  names  of  the 
Abbe  Fenelon  and  the  Abbe  Legris-Duval,  who  col- 
lected these  innocent  creatures  together  in  Paris,  and 
furnished  them  at  the  same  time  with  the  aids  of 
charity  and  the  blessings  of  religion,  will  be  for  ever 
remembered ;  but  Bordeaux  had  no  estabhshment  like 


ESTABLISHMENT  FOR  YOUNG  SAVOYARDS.     263 

that  founded  in  Paris.  It  was  commenced  in  the 
former  city,  during  the  last  years  of  the  episcopate 
of  Archbishop  d'Aviau,  of  blessed  memory,  and  grew 
and  attained  its  perfection  under  Archbishop  Chev- 
erus.  An  institution  was  established  for  the  recep- 
tion of  these  poor  children,  and  a  chapel  founded  to 
give  them  the  benefit  of  religious  instruction.  Here, 
a  considerate  benevolence  supplied  their  wants  ;  they 
were  instructed  in  religion,  and  taught  to  pray,  and 
every  Sunday  and  holyday  they  were  all  present 
together  at  the  celebration  of  mass.  The  Arch- 
bishop himself  went  to  see  and  to  instruct  them, 
and  to  celebrate  their  festivals;  he  reminded  them 
how  much  gratitude  they  owed  to  Religion,  who 
had  been  a  tender  mother  to  them ;  and  he  especially 
loved  to  repeat  to  them,  that,  poor  as  they  were, 
they  might  become,  in  heaven,  greater,  richer,  and 
happier,  than  all  the  rich  men  of  this  world  ;  thus 
endeavouring  to  soften  the  severity  of  their  earthly 
lot  by  the  hopes  of  immortality.* 

If  he  was  thus  interested  for  children  not  belonir- 
ing  to  his  diocese,  his  feelings  toward  the  poor  chil- 

*  "  TVhy^''  said  the  Archbishop  one  day  to  the  young  Savoy- 
ards, at  a  charitable  meeting,  ^^why  was  Saint  Francis  de  Sales 
chosen  for  your  patron  saint  ?  It  was  because,  being  himself  a 
Savoyard,  he  had  a  fellow-countryman'' s  love  for  you ;  but,  ac- 
cording to  this  test,  I  am  also  a  Savoyard,  for  1  love  you  very 
much ;  yes,  I  am  a  Savoyard ;  ^^  and  as  the  surprised  children 
seemed  to  doubt  the  seriousness  of  his  words,  the  Archbishop 


264  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

dren  of  Bordeaux  may  be  imagined.  Until  the  year 
1834,  the  greater  part  of  them  were  left  without 
any  care,  as  well  as  without  instruction ;  and  the  few 
parents  who  had  virtue  enough  not  to  abandon  them, 
prevented  by  the  care  of  them  from  devoting  them- 
selves to  the  labor  which  was  their  only  means  of 
support,  soon  became  poor.  In  the  course  of  this 
year,  asylums  for  these  poor  children  were  opened 
in  the  different  parishes  of  the  city.  Here,  all  be- 
tween the  ages  of  eighteen  months  and  seven 
years  were  received  every  morning,  watched  over, 
instructed,  and  taken  care  of  during  the  day  with  a 
mother's  tenderness  ;  and  while  the  parents,  freed 
from  all  solicitude,  attended  quietly  to  their  business, 
their  happy  children  were  taught,  before  they  could 
speak  plain,  the  knowledge  of  religion,  the  love  of 
virtue,  and  respect  for  the  clergy.  By  exercises  in 
common,  which  emulation  converted  into  parties  of 
pleasure,  they  were  taught  the  catechism,  morning 
and  evening  prayers,  the  singing  of  the  canticles, 
with  the  first  rudiments  of  reading,  and  various  little 
manual  labors.     The  time  for  recreation,  for  repasts, 

added,  "  .^rtc^  these  gentlemen  are  also  Savoyards,  for  they  love 

you  as  I  do,  and  1  love  you  as  they  do, and  these  ladies 

who  give  you  bread,  clothes,  are  Savoyards  also,  for  the  same 
reason^  And  these  pious  ladies,  young  Christians,  and  poor 
children,  had  all,  like  their  bishop  and  father,  a  smile  on 
their  lips,  and  tears  in  their  eyes.  —  Extract  from  an  Essay  on 
the  Young  Savoyards,  p.  95. 


ASYLUMS    FOR    POOR   CHILDREN.  265 

for  conversation,  the  place  which  each  was  to  occupy, 
and  the  manner  of  performing  every  thing,  were  all 
regulated  by  a  gentle  and  wise  authority ;  so  that,  from 
the  most  tender  age,  these  children  contracted  habits  of 
order,  obedience,  neatness,  and  good  manners.  Here, 
every  thing  spoke  to  them  of  religion  ;  the  images  of 
the  crucifix,  of  the  Holy  Virgin,  and  of  the  saints, 
placed  in  the  asylums  ;  the  pious  sentences  engraved 
upon  the  walls ;  the  teachings  and  example  of  their 
mistresses ;  the  visits  of  the  clergy,  who  loved  to  en- 
courage these  valuable  institutions  by  their  presence ; 
and,  above  all,  the  visit  of  the  head  pastor.  It  was 
the  delight  of  Archbishop  Cheverus  to  be  in  the 
midst  of  these  children,  to  interrogate  them  about  re- 
ligion, to  witness  their  eagerness  to  get  the  foremost 
place  in  order  to  reply  to  his  questions,  to  hear  their 
infantile  voices  chanting  the  praises  of  God,  the  beau- 
ties of  religion,  and  our  divine  mysteries.  They 
crowded  around  him  as  around  a  father ;  and,  like 
Jesus  Christ,  he  embraced,  caressed,  and  blessed 
them.  At  such  times,  a  gracious  smile  played  round 
his  lips,  and  his  heart  experienced  sweet  and  delicious 
emotions.  One  of  the  happiest  days  of  his  life  was 
the  6th  of  May,  1835,  when  a  deputation  from  these 
children  came  to  deliver  to  him,  as  the  common  father 
of  the  little  family,  the  symbolical  keys  of  each  of 
the  asylums.  Each  asylum  had  its  deputies,  and  each 
parish  its  decorated  banner,  on  one  side  of  which 
were  the  monograms  of  Mary  and  Saint  Philomena; 
23 


LIFE    OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

and  on  the  other  the  name  of  the  patron  of  the 
parish  inscribed  around  a  cross.  They  went  thus 
in  procession  to  the  chapel  of  the  archiepiscopal 
palace  ;  here  they  met  the  Society  of  Rich  Children, 
the  Supporters  of  Poor  Children,  an  interesting  asso- 
ciation, which  is  divided  into  two  branches ;  one 
of  which,  consisting  of  a  thousand  children,  furnished, 
by  contributing  thirty  francs  each,  the  sum  necessary 
to  defray  the  expense  of  the  first  establishment  of 
the  asylums  for  poor  children  ;  and  the  other,  unlim- 
ited as  to  numbers,  with  an  amiable  emulation,  under- 
take to  collect,  at  the  houses  of  their  relatives  and 
friends,  at  evening  parties  and  assemblies,  the  great- 
est possible  amount  of  alms.  After  a  discourse  pro- 
nounced by  the  director  of  these  valuable  institutions,* 
a  certain  number  of  these  children,  each  holding  by 
the  hand  a  child  from  one  of  the  asylums,  advanced 
in  order,  two  and  two,  to  the  throne  of  the  Arch- 
bishop, and  delivered  to  him,  on  the  one  part,  the 
keys  of  the  asylums ;  on  the  other,  a  heart  of  silver 
gih,  containing  the  names  of  the  thousand  associates. 
It  was  a  touching  spectacle  to  see  children,  the  flower 
aidvthe  hope  of  the  city,  already  accustoming  them* 
selves  to  the  exercise  of  charity,  extending  a  helping 
hand  to  the  unfortunate,  and  becoming  the  protectors 
and  supporters  of  other  children  of  their  own  age. 
The  Archbishop   was  moved    and   delighted  beyond 

*  The  Abb6  Dupuch. 


THE  SISTERS   OF  THE    PRESENTATION.  267 

expression,  at  this  scene  ;  and,  after  the  benediction 
of  the  holy  sacrament,  during  which  all  these  young^ 
children  chanted  prayers  to  the  Holy  Virgin,  whom 
they  so  justly  called  their  mother,  ^'Monstra  te  esse 
matrerrij^^  he  invited  them  to  walk  in  the  garden  of 
the  palace,  enjoying  the  pleasure  of  seeing  them,  as 
a  father  rejoices  in  the  bosom  of  his  family.  From 
this  day,  the  asylums  increased  with  great  rapidity ; 
eighteen  were  soon  established  in  various  parts  of 
the  city,  and  fifteen  hundred  children,  rescued  from 
misery,  were  received  into  them  and  brought  up  in 
the  arms  of  religion. 

In  proportion  as  these  establishments  multiplied, 
the  necessity  was  felt,  and  at  the  same  time  the  dif- 
ficulty, of  forming  pious  instructresses,  capable  of  di- 
recting them.  To  provide  for  this,  Archbishop  Chev- 
erus  received  into  his  diocese  the  Sisters  of  the  Pre- 
sentation, an  order  precious  to  the  church,  founded 
thirty  years  before  at  the  town  of  Saint- Andeol,  by  the 
Abbe  Vernet,  Superior  of  the  Seminary  of  Viviers,  with 
the  view  not  only  of  their  instructing  youth  themselves, 
but  also  of  educating  instructresses,  who  should  be  qual- 
ified to  teach  and  direct  them.  These  pious  and  holy 
women  did  not  confine  their  efforts  to  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  design  for  which  they  were  called  ;  they 
went  much  farther.  After  having  founded  a  normal 
school,  where  they  educated  teachers  not  only  for  the 
asylums,  but  also  for  the  Christian  schools  in  the  va- 
rious parishes  of  the  diocese,  they  took  upon  them- 


268  LIFE  OP  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

selves  to  visit  the  asylums  regularly,  to  have  an  eye 
upon  all  that  was  going  on  in  them,  to  keep  watch 
even  over  the  persons  employed  there,  and  assemble 
them  together  at  various  times,  in  order  to  give  them 
judicious  counsel,  or  deliberate  upon  the  means  of 
sustaining  and  ameliorating  these  establishments  more 
and  more.  An  important  service,  the  result  of  which 
was  a  uniformity  in  conducting  and  governing  all  the 
asylums,  which  was  but  the  prelude  to  other  advanta- 
ges. After  this  primary  education,  which  terminated  at 
the  age  of  seven  years,  the  boys  found  a  new  asylum 
in  the  venerable  Abbe  de  la  Salle's  Schools  of  Broth- 
ers ;  and  the  girls,  with  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  or  other 
virtuous  teachers.  Two  parishes  only  remained  desti- 
tute of  these  elementary  schools ;  the  Sisters  of  the 
Presentation  furnished  them  in  these,  and  took  per- 
sonal charge  of  them.  All  these  provisions,  however, 
were  inadequate  to  the  existing  wants  of  this  kind. 
There  were  neglected  children,  without  father  or 
mother,  without  any  refuge  or  help.  The  Sisters  re- 
ceived a  certain  number  of  them,  and  undertook  to 
bring  them  up  at  their  own  expense  ;  and,  to  provide 
for  the  remainder,  two  institutions  were  founded,  one 
for  poor  orphan  boys,  the  other  for  poor  orphan  girls. 
The  first  was  sustained  by  the  Society  of  Rich  ChiU 
,  dren,  the  Supporters  of  Poor  Children ;  the  second, 
by  an  association  of  young  ladies,  called  by  the  ami- 
able appellation  of  Youthful  Stewards  of  Providence, 
Thus  was  every  thing  done  for  childhood  up  to  that 


CHRISTIAN   WORKSHOPS    ARE   OPENED    TO   YOUTH.    269 

age,  when,  entering  upon  another  period  of  Ufe,  the 
most  perilous  to  pass  through,  it  engages  in  some 
trade  or  calHng.  Whether  from  the  strength  of  the 
passions,  or  in  consequence  of  living  in  workshops 
where  they  saw  none  but  evil  examples,  and  heard 
only  bad  language,  this  period  had  hitherto  been,  as 
it  were,  the  fatal  moment,  in  which  the  benefits  of 
their  early  education  were  lost.  But  a  remedy  was 
found  for  this  evil,  as  for  every  other.  The  same 
Sisters  opened  a  workshop  for  the  young  girls,  where 
they  taught  them,  or  had  them  taught,  a  trade  suit- 
able to  their  sex  and  condition.  Here  they  had 
them  under  their  own  inspection  every  week-day  ; 
and,  on  Sundays  and  holydays,  they  assembled  them 
with  the  children  of  the  first  communion  and  other 
persons,  and  indulged  them  in  harmless  recreations, 
which  they  interspersed  with  prayers  and  religious 
instructions  ;  and,  in  this  way,  prevented  them  from 
frequenting  dances  and  meetings  dangerous  to  inno- 
cence. The  young  men  also  found,  at  the  same  time, 
Christian  workshops  opened  for  them,  where  they 
might  learn  a  trade  without  endangering  their  virtue. 
Forty  master-workmen,  inspired  by  that  Providence 
in  whose  hands  are  the  hearts  of  all  men,  formed 
the  design  of  associating  together,  and  pledging  them- 
selves to  lead  a  Christian  life,  to  insist  on  the  ob- 
servance of  religion  in  their  shops,  and  to  admit  nono 
but  workmen  who  were  willing  to  practise  it.  Arch- 
bishop Cheverus,  rejoicing  to  hear  of  it,  after  ob- 
23* 


270  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL  (mEVERUS. 

taining  for  this  design  the  approbation  of  the  prefect 
of  the  department,  went  to  preside  himself  at  the 
formation  of  this  valuable  institution,  and  to  install  its 
principal  officers.  They  also,  like  the  Sisters,  under- 
took to  watch  over  the  young  men  during  the  week, 
and  on  Sundays  to  assemble  them  in  a  spacious  place 
which  w-as  granted  to  them,  where  they  might  en- 
gage in  all  the  sports  proper  for  the  recreation  of 
youth  ;  so  that,  from  this  combination  of  pious  works, 
it  may  be  truly  said,  that,  from  the  cradle  to  mature 
age,  religion  led  the  poor  child  by  the  hand,  spread 
over  him  her  shield,  and  trained  him  for  time  and 
eternity. 

It  may  be  easily  imagined  that  so  many  good 
works,  inspired,  sustained,  or  encouraged  by  the  Arch- 
bishop, must  render  him  dear  to  the  whole  people, 
and  call  down  blessings  on  his  name.  As  he  was 
one  day  walking  in  the  street,  a  thoughtless  young 
fellow,  doubtless  a  stranger  in  Bordeaux,  having  ut- 
tered in  an  undertone,  from  the  interior  of  a  ware- 
house, that  vulgar  cry  by  wdiich  the  irreligious  popu- 
lace sometimes  insult  the  ecclesiastical  habit,  was  heard 
by  a  few  people.  Their  indignation  was  immediately 
aroused,  and  spread  from  one  to  another;  a  crowd 
soon  collected,  and  the  young  man  was  obliged  to 
conceal  himself  in  order  to  escape  public  vengeance. 
The  same  evening,  the  master  of  the  house,  with 
shame  and  confusion,  came  to  apologize  to  the  Arch- 
bishop, and  inform  him  that  the  culprit  was  in  prison. 


RESPECT  IN  WHICH  HE  WAS  HELD  BY  THE  JEWS.      271 

The  Archbishop,  who  had  hardly  noticed  the  offence, 
desired  that  he  might  be  set  at  liberty.  "  Pray,  Mon- 
seigneur,"  immediately  replied  the  man,  with  much 
candor,  "  if  not  on  your  own  account,  have  the  goodness 
to  let  him  remain  there  for  my  sake ;  because,  other- 
wise, my  business  would  be  ruined,  my  warehouse 
forsaken,  so  great  would  be  the  public  indignation. 
No  one  would  have  any  further  connexion  with  a 
house  where  such  an  offence  could  be  committed 
without  being  severely  and  publicly  punished." 

It  is  very  remarkable  that  the  Jews  appeared  no 
less  indignant  on  this  occasion  than  the  Catholics ; 
the  offence  had  been  committed  in  the  part  of  the 
city  which  they  inhabited,*  and  they  wished  to  be 
the  first  to  avenge  it.  They  all  felt,  indeed,  a  pro- 
found respect  for  Archbishop  Cheverus.  When  he 
passed  through  their  quarter,  all  saluted  him  with  an 
air  of  veneration,  and  those  who  were  seated  man- 
ifested their  respect  by  rising.  On  his  arrival  at 
Bordeaux,  their  Grand  Rabbi  came  in  person  to  com- 
pliment him  in  the  most  pompous  terms,  comparing 
himself  to  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  who  had  come  to  ad- 
mire the  wisdom  of  Solomon  ;  and,  from  that  time,  he 
had  continued  to  keep  up  an  intercourse  with  him. 
He  came  to  confide  his  troubles  and  his  griefs  to  the 
heart  of  the  Archbishop.  ''  I  come,"  he  said  to  him 
one  day,  when  the  death  of  a  beloved  daughter  had 
plunged  him  in  profound  grief,  "  I  come  to  seek  con- 

*Near  Bouhaut  Street. 


212  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

solation  from  the  representative  of  Jesus  Christ,  who 
wept  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus."  Strange  language 
in  the  mouth  of  a  Rabbi ;  but  it  proves  the  more 
strongly  the  deep  veneration  in  which  the  Archbishop 
was  held  by  this  unbelieving  people. 

It  was  not  only  at  Bordeaux  that  the  virtues  of 
Archbishop  Cheverus  excited  general  admiration; 
they  were  everywhere  spoken  of,  and  the  govern- 
ment had  serious  thoughts  of  elevating  him  to  the 
cardinalship.  M.  Charles  Dupin  had  already,  in  his 
discourse  on  the  Sth  of  June,  1835,  sounded  the 
disposition  of  the  Chamber  on  the  subject.  ^'  Let 
the  government,"  he  said,  "  nominate  the  illustrious 
Cheverus  as  Cardinal.  Such  a  choice  would  at  the 
same  time  do  honor  to  France  and  to  Christendom." 
These  words  were  received  on  every  side  with  unan- 
imous expressions  of  approbation.  The  Archbishop, 
without  having  received  any  official  or  direct  com- 
munication on  the  subject,  had  been  informed  that 
the  King  was  fully  resolved  to  ask  for  him  a  Car- 
dinal's hat.  The  intelligence  alarmed  him,  like  the 
annunciation  of  some  calamity,  and  he  left  no  means 
untried  to  prevent  his  own  promotion.  "  You  have 
often  protested  to  me,"  he  wrote  to  a  high  and  pow- 
erful personage  in  Paris,  "  that  you  were  one  of  my 
best  friends;  give  me  a  proof  of  it  on  this  occasion, 
by  exerting  all  your  influence  to  prevent  the  execu- 
tion of  a  project  which  distresses  me.  I  am  already 
elevated  too  high ;  I  pray  that  I  may  be  suffered  to 


LETTER  FROM  THE  KING  TO  THE  POPE.      273 

die  as  1  now  am.''  He  did  not  stop  here.  The 
Marquis  de  Latour-Maubourg,  ambassador  from  France 
to  Rome,  having  had  occasion  to  write  to  him  sev- 
eral times  on  this  subject,  the  Archbishop,  in  his 
rephes,  endeavoured  to  urge  all  the  reasons  which 
seemed  to  him  calculated  to  hinder  his  promotion. 
''  After  having  been  twenty-five  years  a  bishop,  and 
forty-five  a  priest,"  he  said  to  him,  "  retirement 
would  become  me  better  than  new  dignities  ;  my 
aged  shoulders  grow  weak,  and  the  head  they  sup- 
port grows  dull.  Besides,  I  have  no  personal  re- 
sources to  meet  the  expenses  which  the  cardinal- 
ship  must  necessarily  involve.  This  is  one  among 
many  reasons,  why  choice  should  be  made  of  a  prel- 
ate who  to  higher  merit  than  mine,  which  it  will  be 
very  easy  to  find,  may  unite  pecuniary  means.  En- 
deavour, then,  to  save  me  from  this  burden." 

But  such  great  modesty  only  seemed  to  entitle 
him  the  more  to  this  high  dignity.  The  King  wrote 
to  the  Pope,  and,  relying  on  the  sentiments  of  affec- 
tion which  his  Holiness  had  been  pleased  to  manifest 
towards  him,  and  on  the  lively  interest  he  had  always 
shown  in  the  welfare  and  dignity  of  the  churches 
of  France,  grounded  his  request,  especially,  in  behalf 
of  Archbishop  Cheverus,  upon  the  virtues,  which 
for  a  long  time  had  marlced  him  out  for  the  venera- 
tion of  the  faithful;  upon  the  exalted  qualities  of 
which  he  had  given  an  illustrious  example  in  the 
midst  of  the  churches  of  France^  after  having  edi- 


274  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

jied  a  part  of  the  new  world;  upon  the  wisdom  and 
the  talents  with  which  he  exercised  the  holy  ministry, 
and  his  ardent  and  enlightened  zeal  for  religion. 
The  Sovereign  Pontiff  did  not  reply  to  this  letter  for 
some  time,  because  he  wished  that  the  government 
should  pledge  itself  to  give  the  new  Cardinal  a  sal- 
ary proportioned  to  his  dignity  ;  but  the  appointment 
was  determined  upon  in  his  own  mind,  from  the  first 
moment  the  proposition  was  made  ;  for,  seeing  soon 
after  a  vicar-general  from  Bordeaux,  he  announced 
to  him,  that  the  Archbishop  was  to  be  proclaimed 
Cardinal  at  the  approaching  consistory.  "And,"  he 
added,  with  that  grace  which  characterized  him,  "if 
I  raise  him  to  this  dignity,  it  is  not  merely  because 
the  government  has  asked  it  of  me ;  independently 
of  this  circumstance,  I  take  particular  pleasure  in 
making  this  appointment,  on  account  of  the  virtues  of 
the  Archbishop,  and  the  zeal  he  has  displayed  in  the 
dioceses  of  Boston,  Montauban,  and  Bordeaux :  Inde^ 
pendemente  a  questa  circostanza,  molto  mi  place  il 
nominarlo,  a  ragione  delle  sue  virtu,  del  suo  zelo  in 
Bostone,  Montauban,  e  Bordeaux."  At  length,  on 
the  21st  of  December,  1835,  the  emoluments  de- 
manded having  been  promised,  the  Pope  replied  to 
the  King  with  his  own  hand,  that,  being,  like  his 
Majesty,  convinced  that  the  promotion  of  so  worthy 
a  person  as  the  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux  to  the  Ro- 
man purple,  would  tend  to  the  honor  of  the  Sacred 
College,   and   increase   the   splendor   of  the   French 


THE  KING'S  LETTER  OP  THANKS  TO  THE  POPE.        275 

clergy,  he  very  willingly  acceded  to  the  request,  and 
proposed  to  make  a  decree  to  that  effect  at  the  ap- 
proaching consistory.*  The  reply  of  the  Pope  had 
hardly  reached  Paris,  before  report  had  spread  the 
news  in  every  direction,  and  the  approaching  pro- 
motion of  Archbishop  Cheverus  to  the  cardinalship 
was  no  longer  a  secret  to  any  one.  The  King  has- 
tened to  thank  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  for  his  kindness. 
"  I  have  received  with  lively  gratitude,"  he  wrote 
him,  "  the  letter  which  your  Holiness  lately  address- 
ed to  me,  informing  me  with  what  paternal  goodness 
your  Holiness  has  been  pleased  to  receive  my  request, 
that  the  sacred  purple  may  be  conferred  on  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Bordeaux.  Your  Holiness  could  not  have 
done  any  thing  more  agreeable  to  me  personally,  nor 
any  thing  calculated,  at  the  same  time,  to  excite  in 
France  a  more  general  approbation,  a  more  sincere 
and  heartfelt  gratitude,  in  all  classes  of  society.  The 
Archbishop  of  Bordeaux  is  a  prelate  whose  enlight- 
ened piety,  modesty,  and  exalted  virtues,  afford  an 
edifying  example  to  the  churches  of  France;  and 
the  Sacred  College  could  not  admit  a  more  worthy 
member."     All  France,  indeed,  rejoiced  at  the  news, 

*  "  Essendo  eguale  alia  nostra  la  persuasione  di  Vostra 
Maest^  che  la  promozione  di  si  degno  soggetto  al  cardinalato 
risultera  di  decoro  al  Sacro  Collegio  ed  accrescera  lo  splen- 
dore  del  Clero  di  Francia,  ben  volontieri  ne  abbiamo  accolto 
la  domanda,  e  ci  proponiamo  di  raandarla  ad  effetto  nel  primo 
concistorio." 


276  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

and  the  most  illustrious  prelates  hastened  to  express 
to  Archbishop  Cheverus  the  pleasure  they  felt  in  his 
promotion.  The  letter,  which  the  Archbishop  of  Paris 
wrote  him  on  this  occasion,  is  too  remarkable  not  to 
find  a  place  in  the  life  of  the  Cardinal.  "  The  news 
of  your  approaching  promotion  to  the  cardinalship," 
said  he,  "  is  now  so  public,  that  it  is  no  longer  im- 
proper to  speak  of  it ;  and  I  should  be  sorry  to  be 
one  of  the  last  to  pay  you  my  compliments,  and 
offer  you  my  congratulations.  The  Catholics  of  two 
worlds  will  applaud  this  testimonial  of  good-will  and 
high  esteem  given  you  by  the  Holy  See.  All  voices 
will  join  in  approving  the  choice  of  our  most  holy  and 
our  common  father.  The  church  of  Paris  unites  with 
the  churches  of  Montauban  and  Bordeaux  in  express- 
ing to  you  its  joy,  and  the  interest  it  feels  in  an 
event  which  rewards  such  merit  upon  earth.  I  wish, 
Monseigneur,  tl.at  you  could  see  my  heart,  and  there 
read  all  the  interest,  devotedness,  and  veneration  I 
feel' for  your  person." 

Archbishop  Cheverus  was  much  affected  by  these 
testimonies  of  attachment  and  respect  which  reached 
him  from  all  quarters  ;  but  particularly  by  the  letter  of 
the  Archbishop  of  Paris.  "  This  letter,"  said  he,  "con- 
fers upon  me  more  honor  than  the  purple."  He  has- 
tened, therefore,  to  thank  the  illustrious  prelate  for  it. 
"I  have  no  doubt,"  he  wrote  him,  "that  this  dignity, 
which  I  so  little  deserve,  is  really  intended  for  me ; 
but  my  heart  and  my  judgment  tell   me  it  ought  to 


PROCLAIMED    CARDINAL.  277 

be  conferred  upon  your  Grace,  as  a  homage  paid 
to  an  apostle  and  a  martyr ;  to  him  who  can  say  of 
his  brethren,  without  a  violation  of   truth,  '  Ministri 

Christi  sunt  ?  Plus  ego ; in  plagis  supra  modum, 

in  mortibus  frequenter '/  to  him,  in  whom  we  have 
admired  another  Belzunce  *  in  the  midst  of  those  smit- 
ten with  the  plague,  and  in  whom  we  cherish  a  second 
Vincent  de  Paul,  the  father  of  orphans.  Think,  then, 
Monseigneur,  how  much  I  am  moved,  and  how  great- 
ly I  feel  myself  honored,  by  the  interest  and  friendship 
which  such  a  prelate  is  pleased  to  express  for  me." 
Meantime  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  did  not  delay  the 
fulfilment  of  his  promise.  On  the  1st  of  February, 
1836,  Archbishop  Cheverus  was  proclaimed  Cardinal ; 
the  greater  distinction,  because  no  one  shared  this  hon- 
or with  him,  except  the  nephew  of  the  late  pope,  Leo 
the  Twelfth,  Cardinal  della  Genga.  When  the  news 
reached  Bordeaux,  it  spread  universal  joy  throughout 
the  city  and  the  whole  diocese.  All  came  to  pay  their 
compliments  to  the  Archbishop.  The  Chapter  in  a 
body  offered  him  their  congratulations  ;  and,  inspired 
by  his  habitual  modesty,  the  humble  prelate  replied, 
that  he  was  distressed  and  humbled  to  find  himself 
thought  of  for  so  exalted  a  dignity,  whilst  so  many 
illustrious  prelates,  his  colleagues,  would  have  graced 
it  so  much  more  by  their  talents  and  virtues.  He 
even  mentioned  the  Archbishop  of  Paris,  whose  for- 
titude and  resignation,  in  the  midst  of  so  many  trials 

*  ["  Marseilles'  good  bishop."  —  Tr.] 
24 


278  LIFE  OP   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

SO  nobly  endured,  would  have  heightened  the  lustre  of 
the  Roman  purple.  "This  honor  belonged,"  he  said, 
**  not  to  me,  but  to  him."  Thus,  while  his  elevation 
filled  every  one  with  joy,  he  alone  was  troubled  by 
it.  His  modesty  could  not  bear  the  thought  of  being 
raised  so  high ;  and  it  was  necessary  to  preach  to 
him  the  duty  of  being  resigned  to  greatness,  as  re- 
signation to  misfortune  and  obscurity  is  preached  to 
others.  Being  summoned  to  Paris,  to  receive  the 
titles  and  insignia  of  the  cardinalship,  he  repaired 
thither  with  grief  and  anxiety,  and  the  joy  of  his 
friends  could  not  dissipate  his  own  sadness.  As  soon 
as  he  arrived,  the  Nuncio  of  his  Holiness  sent  him  the 
apostolical  letters  which  made  him  a  member  of  the  Sa- 
cred College,  and  which  were  most  honorable  to  him. 
"  It  is  our  first  care,"  said  the  Sovereign  Pontiff,  in 
these  letters,  "  so  to  form  the  Sacred  College  of  Car- 
dinals, the  venerable  Senate  of  the  Universal  Church 
and  of  the  Apostolic  See,  that  it  may  shine  through- 
out the  world,  by  the  eminent  merit  of  its  members, 
as  brightly  as  so  elevated  a  dignity  and  the  decrees 
of  the  holy  canons  require.  This  consideration  has 
induced  us  to  make  you  a  member  of  this  most  au- 
gust assembly.  For  your  well-known  piety,  your  learn- 
ing, your  prudence,  your  zeal  for  the  Catholic  reli- 
gion, and  your  many  other  virtues,  united  to  an  uncom- 
mon devotedness  to  our  person  and  to  the  Apostolic 
See,  your  experience  in  business,  your  fidelity  and 
ability,  proved  in  the  administration  of  the  diocese  of 


COMMENDATORY  LETTERS  OF   THE   POPE.  279 

Bordeaux,  have  placed  you  so  high  in  our  esteem 
that  we  cannot  doubt  your  ministry  will  be  blessed 
to  the  service  and  honor  of  the  church  of  God."* 
And  in  another  brief,  accompanying  these  apostolical 
letters,  the  Pope  further  said  to  him :  "  Looking  with 
paternal  regard  upon  you,  who  are  distinguished  by 
Divine  goodness  with  such  eminent  gifts  of  grace,  and 
considering  how  highly  you  honor  the  Roman  church 
of  which  you  are  a  distinguished  member,  by  the 
greatness  of  your  merits,  we  deem  it  not  only  suit- 
able, but  incumbent  upon  us,  to  grant  you  certain 
privileges."  f 

*  "  Inter  multiplices  gravissimasque  injuncti  nobis  divinittis 
apostolatus  curas,  ilia  nos  prse  cseteris  sollicitat  ut  venerabil- 
ium  fratrum  nostrorum  S.  R.  E.  cardinalium  collegium,  B.  Petri 
sedis  et  universsB  ecclesi©  senatus,  amplissimis  iis  prsefulgeat 
viris  quos  tarn  sublimis  desiderat  gradus  et  sacrorum  canonum 
decreta  requirunt.  Quamobrera  te  augustissimo  huic  ordini 
adscribere  visum  est.  Tua  enim  probata  pietas,  doctrina, 
prudentia,  et  catholicse  religionis  zelus,  aliarumque  virtutum 
merita  cum  singulari  erga  nos  et  apostolicam  sedem  devotione 
conjuncta,  rerumque  usus  et  in  regenda  archiepiscopali  eccle- 
sia  Burdigalensi  spectata  fides  et  industria,  te  nobis  et  dictse 
sedi  commendarunt  ita,  ut  nos  in  Domino  sperare  juberent 
ministerium  tuum  ecclesise  Dei  magno  usui  et  ornamento  fu- 
turum." 

f  "  Ad  personam  tuam,  quam  divina  dementia  magnis  illus- 
travit  gratiarum  muneribus,  paternse  dirigentes  considerationis 
intuitum,  et  attente  prospicientes  quod  tu  Romanam  Ecclesiam, 
cujus  honorabile  membrum  existis,  tuorum  plenius  honoras 
magnitudine  meritorum,  dignum  quin  potius  debitum  reputa- 
mus  ea  tibi  favorabiliter  concedere," 


280  LIFE   OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

To  letters  so  flattering,  and  such  distinguished 
marks  of  esteem,  the  new  Cardinal  returned  the  most 
humble  and  modest  replies.  '*  We  have  received 
the  letters  of  your  Holiness,"  he  said  to  him,  "  with 
shame  and  confusion  of  face,  as  being  conscious  of 
our  unworthiness ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  with  a  lively 
sense  of  gratitude,  as  a  son  who  finds  himself  hon- 
ored by  a  beloved  father I  experience  a  feeling 

of  stupor  and  fear,  to  find  myself,  unworthy  as  I  am, 
a  member  of  the  most  illustrious  College  of  Cardinals 
of  the  Holy  Church ;  but,  trusting  in  God  who  is  my 
strength,  I  beseech  him  to  grant  me  grace  to  defend 
as  I  ought  the  rights  of  the  church  and  of  the  Holy 
See,  and  to  contribute  to  its  prosperity."  * 

But  one  ceremony  still  remained  for  Cardinal 
Cheverus  to  go  through,  more  trying  to  his  modes- 
ty than  all  the  rest.  This  was  the  solemn  recep- 
tion of  the  Cardinal's  hat  from  the  hands  of  the 
King  himself.  On  Wednesday,  the  9th  of  March, 
many  court  carriages,  with  the  Charge  d'AfFaires 
of  the  Holy  See,  the  Nuncio,  and  the  Master  of 
Ceremonies,  came  to  his  hotel,  to  take  him  and  his 

*  "  Cum  verecundia  et  vultus  rubore,  utpote  indignitatis  nos- 
trse  conscii,  sed  cum  vivido  grati  animi  sensu,  utpote  filius  a 
patre  dilecto  honoratus,  litteras  Sanctitatis  Vestrse  accepimus. 

Me  indignum  in  eminentissimo  S.  R.  E.  cardinalium  col- 

legio  adscitum,  cum  stupore  et  timore  conspicio ;  sed  confidens 
in  eo  qui  me  confortat,  precor  ut  Ecclesise  sanctseque  sedis 
jura  et  prosperitatem  defendere  et  promovere  mihi  Deus  O.  M. 
concedere  dignetur." 


PRIVATE    INTERVIEW    WITH  THE   KING.  281 

suite,  and  proceeded  to  the  Tuileries.  After  the 
Pope's  Nuncio  had,  according  to  custom,  addressed 
the  King  in  Latin,  mass  was  celebrated  in  the  chapel, 
and,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  holy  sacrifice,  the  Car- 
dinal, having  fallen  on  his  knees  in  the  chancel,  the 
King,  also  on  his  knees,  placed  the  Cardinal's  hat 
upon  his  head.  The  multitude  having  then  retired, 
the  Cardinal  arrayed  himself  in  a  red  cassock  and 
all  the  badges  of  his  new  dignity,  proceeded  with  a 
great  retinue  to  the  apartments  of  the  King,  and  ad- 
dressed him  In  a  discourse  expressive  of  his  gratitude. 
After  the  ceremony,  the  King  wished  to  see  the 
Cardinal  in  private,  and  spoke  to  him  with  so  much 
kindness,  that  his  Eminence  believed  it  a  favorable 
moment  to  solicit  a  favor  which  his  heart  earnestly 
desired,  —  the  release  of  M.  de  Peyronnet,  a  mem- 
ber of  his  diocese,  and  that  of  his  companions  in 
misfortune.  The  restoration  of  Hberty  to  a  captive 
would  have  yielded  him  the  sweetest  enjoyment  of 
the  day.  The  King  protested  to  him  his  good-will 
and  kind  intentions ;  but  there  the  whole  matter  rest- 
ed for  the  time. 

On  leaving  the  Tuileries,  the  Cardinal  went  to 
visit  the  Archbishop  of  Paris,  and  thank  him  for  the 
very  courteous  manner  In  which  he  had  offered  him 
his  congratulations.  The  Archbishop,  on  his  part, 
obeying  the  impulse  of  his  noble  heart,  testified  to 
Cardinal  Cheverus  in  every  way  the  joy  he  felt  in 
his  elevation.  He  not  only  went  to  see  him  several 
24* 


282  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

times,  but  he  brought  his  Chapter  to  pay  their  re- 
spects to  him,  in  a  body,  in  the  name  of  the  church 
of  Paris.  In  the  midst  of  all  these  honors,  the  Car- 
dinal was  constantly  sad.  His  elevated  soul  saw  clear- 
ly the  nothingness  of  all  this  grandeur,  and  found  in  it 
nothing  satisfactory.  "  Of  what  importance  is  it,"  said 
he,  "  to  be  enveloped  after  death  in  a  red,  purple, 
or  black  shroud  ?  When  we  have  seen  thrones  fall, 
and  still  see  daily  the  very  foundations  of  society 
shaken,  how  can  we  help  feeling  that  there  is  noth- 
ing permanent  here  below  ?  how  attach  any  value  to 
human  things  ? "  And  then  his  elevation  was  so  con- 
trary to  his  simple  and  modest  tastes.  '•'  Oh  !  how 
gladly,"  he  said  to  the  young  men  of  the  Seminary 
of  St.  Sulpicius,  "  how  gladly  would  I  exchange  this 
red  cap  for  yours,"  He  left  Paris  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible, and  returned  to  his  diocese  by  the  way  of 
Mayenne.  The  joy  of  this  city,  which  beheld  for 
the  first  time  a  Cardinal  who  was  a  native  of  May- 
enne, was  unbounded.  His  Eminence  was  met  at 
every  step  by  demonstrations  of  the  most  profound 
respect,  and  the  most  sincere  admiration.  As  for 
himself,  he  was  not  on  this  account  less  humble, 
nor  less  deeply  sensible  of  the  emptiness  and  noth- 
ingness of  all  which  the  world  admires.  Urged  to 
go  into  the  pulpit  by  a  people  eager  to  hear  bim, 
he  spoke  only  of  death,  and  the  necessity  of  being 
prepared  to  appear  before  God.  "Most  of  those 
whom  I  have  formerly  known  in  this  city  have  dis- 


HIS   RECEPTION  AT   BORDEAUX.  283 

appeared,"  he  said  to  ihem ;  "  death  has  removed 
them  all.  This  is  a  lesson  to  me,  and  teaches  me 
that  I  also  shall  soon  disappear." 

The  Cardinal  remained  only  a  few  days  at  May- 
enne,  and  set  off  for  Bordeaux,  where  he  expected 
to  arrive  on  Tuesday  of  holy  week.  He  had  long 
wished  to  keep  the  day  of  his  return  secret,  in  order 
to  avoid  the  pomp  of  a  solemn  reception  ;  but,  finally, 
he  was  obliged  to  yield  to  the  earnest  entreaties,  the 
pressing  and  reiterated  solicitations  of  the  people  of 
Bordeaux.  This  reception  was  as  magnificent  as 
love,  devotion,  and  enthusiasm  could  make  it.  In 
spite  of  the  rain  which  was  falling,  an  immense  multi- 
tude came  out  to  meet  him,  and  filled  the  squares 
and  streets  through  which  he  was  to  pass.  All  the 
troops  in  full  uniform,  all  the  civil  authorities,  all  the 
clergy  assembled  from  various  parts  of  the  diocese, 
all  the  people,  in  short,  vied  with  each  other  in  their 
desire  to  prove  to  His  Eminence  how  much  they 
respected  and  loved  him ;  what  an  honor  they  consid- 
ered it  to  have  him  for  their  Archbishop ;  and  with 
what  noble  pride  they  beheld  the  See  of  Bordeaux 
graced  with  the  Roman  purple.  The  Cardinal  felt 
it  deeply,  less  on  account  of  the  honor  paid  to  his 
person,  than  for  the  attachment  which  he  thought 
these  exterior  demonstrations  evinced.  Yet  the  sat- 
isfaction he  experienced  this  day  was  cruelly  coun- 
terbalanced by  his   sorrow  of  heart   on    hearing,  the 


284  LIFE    OP   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

day  after,  of  a  melancholy  disaster  which  had  occur- 
red in  a  remote  part  of  his  diocese. 

A  few  days  before  his  arrival,  ninety-six  fishermen 
had  left  the  port  of  Teste  in  eight  boats,  having 
twelve  men  in  each,  to  seek,  by  the  toilsome  occu- 
pation of  fishing  in  a  troubled  sea,  the  means  of  pro- 
viding bread  for  their  indigent  families.  They  had 
hardly  reached  a  certain  distance  from  the  coast, 
when  the  sea  became  more  and  more  rough,  the  wind 
blew  with  violence,  and  the  waves  rose,  and  tossed 
their  frail  boats,  which  had  little  ballast.  They 
struggled  long  against  the  tempest;  but  at  length  it 
prevailed ;  boats  and  fishermen  were  all  swallowed 
up.  Two  boats  only  succeeded  in  saving  themselves, 
and  brought  to  the  afflicted  shore  intelligence  of  the 
death  of  seventy-eight  seamen;  fifty-six  of  whom 
were  fathers  of  families,  and  twelve  married  men  but 
without  children.  The  soul  of  the  Cardinal  was 
deeply  distressed  at  this  news  ;  he  wept  for  the  dead, 
and  for  so  many  widows  and  orphans,  and  exerted 
himself  to  alleviate,  as  far  as  possible,  such  a  great 
calamity.  After  having  appointed,  for  the  next  Sun- 
day, a  general  collection  in  all  the  churches  of  Bor- 
deaux, he  made  another  appeal  to  the  charity  of  the 
Catholics,  by  convoking  a  charity  meeting  in  the 
cathedral,  at  which  the  preacher  who  had  been  most 
distinguished  during  the  season  of  Lent  preached 
in  behalf  of  these  unfortunate  families.  He  then 
sent  to  the  scene  of  distress  the  Abbe  Dupuch,  that 


HIS  CHARITY  IN  THE  CASE  OF  SHIPWRECKED  FISHERMEN.  285 

apostle  of  charity,  always  ready  to  fly  wherever  there 
was  misery  to  relieve,  or  grief  to  console.  Here  the 
most  heart-rending  spectacle  presented  itself  to  the 
sight  of  the  charitable  priest ;  a  hundred  and  sixty- 
one  little  orphans,  with  widows  and  old  men,  who, 
in  losing  a  father,  a  husband,  or  a  son,  had  lost  their 
only  means  of  subsistence.  As  a  solace  under  these 
heavy  woes,  the  Cardinal  announced  a  solemn  service 
for  the  shipwrecked  mariners;  and,  after  this  mourn- 
ful ceremony,  so  calculated  to  awaken  compassion  in 
every  heart,  he  poured  forth  the  feelings  of  his  soul 
before  a  numerous  audience,  addressing  to  them  the 
exhortation  from  Ecclesiasticus,*  so  appropriate  to  the 
occasion  :  "  Be  merciful  to  the  fatherless  as  a  father j 
and  as  a  husband  to  their  mother :  and  thou  shalt 
be  as  the  obedient  son  of  the  Most  High,  and  he  will 
have  mercy  on  thee  more  than  a  mother.''  This  ap- 
peal to  their  charity  was  heard,  alms  were  liberally 
contributed,  and  assistance  of  every  kind  was  fur- 
nished. An  association  was  formed  to  take  care  of 
the  orphans;  composed,  1st,  Of  the  rich  orphan 
children  of  Bordeaux ;  2ndly,  Of  the  children  of 
many  rich  families,  whom  the  Cardinal  urged  to  unite 
in  the  good  work.  With  the  resources  thus  obtained 
an  asylum  was  opened  at  Bordeaux  for  those  chil- 
dren whom  their  relations  wished  to  place  there,  and 
assistance  was  sent  to  those  whose  mothers  were  un- 
willing to   be    separated    from    them.     The   widows 

*  Chap.  iv.  10. 


286  LIFE  OP   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

and  old  men  also  received  such  alms  as  they  needed. 
The  lamentations  for  this  great  calamity  were  every- 
where heard,   and  reached    even  to  the    foot  of    the 
throne.     The  royal    family  sent    them  five    thousand 
francs,  and  the  minister  seven  thousand  ;  and  all,  even 
to  the  pupils  of  the  Royal  College,  wished   to  ren- 
der them  some    assistance.     Besides  a  collection    of 
five  thousand  francs,  these  generous  young  men  un- 
dertook, in  connexion  with  their   parents,  to    educate 
an  orphan  boy,  and  defray  the  expense  of  his  studies, 
if  he  were  a  proper  subject ;  if  not,  to  place  him  in 
a   school    of  arts   and   trades.     Thus   was    repaired, 
so   far  at    least    as  it  could    be,  so   great  a  disaster. 
Soon  after,  being  relieved  from  the  solicitude  which 
this   afflictive    event    had    occasioned    him.    Cardinal 
Cheverus    published    a   code    of   ecclesiastical   laws, 
or  diocesan  statutes  for  his  clergy.     His    priests  had 
for  a  long  time  been  urging  him  to  this,  and  hoped 
that  in  his  wisdom    he  w^ould   consent,   as    it    would 
be    the    means    of    introducing    uniformity    into    the 
ecclesiastical    government,    and    enable   them    to  jus- 
tify their   acts   before  men   as  well    as    before    God, 
by  their    obedience.     But    tlie    Cardinal,   who  would 
do  nothing   in  haste,  who  wished   to   allow  sufficient 
time  for  the    spirit   of  observation    to   remark  every 
thing,    and    for    prudence    to  weigh    all,    had    waited 
until    the    ninth  year  of   his  episcopal    administration 
in    the    See    of    Bordeaux,    before    he    commenced 
the  undertaking.     Then,  a  plan  of  the  statutes  was 


FRAMES   STATUTES   FOR  HIS  CLERGY.  287 

drawn  up,  in  concert  with  his  grand-vicars,  and 
communicated  to  his  priests  when  assembled  for  the 
annual  retreat ;  and  after  having  matured  it  many 
months  longer  in  silence  and  reflection,  he  at  length 
published  the  long  expected  statutes.  On  Whit- 
sunday, of  the  year  1836,  he  issued  a  mandate 
promulgating  them.  In  this  he  announces,  1st,  the 
plan  he  had  pursued.  The  whole  is  arranged  under 
three  principal  heads ;  divine  service,  zeal  for  the 
salvation  of  souls,  and  the  ecclesiastical  life  which 
priests  ought  to  lead.  He  then  goes  on  to  exhibit 
the  advantages  which  the  clergy  will  derive  from 
these  holy  rules,  and  the  obligations  they  impose  upon 
them.  And  here  his  humility  is  pleased  to  declare, 
that,  although  he  gives  these  laws,  it  is  not  done  in  a 
spirit  of  domination  and  authority.  God,  who  sees 
the  recesses  of  the  heart,  knows  that  he  would  rather 
be  the  humblest  of  his  priests  than  be  placed  at 
their  head;  and  that  the  exercise  of  power  was  his 
most  painful  duty.  2ndly.  That  he  has  not  derived 
these  rules  from  his  own  wisdom,  but  from  the  ven- 
erable Councils  of  antiquity,  especially  from  the  Coun- 
cils of  Bordeaux,  the  writings  of  the  Fathers,  and 
the  Holy  Scriptures ;  and,  that  every  one  might  be 
convinced  of  this,  he  had  printed  in  the  body  of  the 
statutes,  at  the  end  of  each  article,  the  corresponding 
passage  from  the  Councils  or  the  Fathers.  We  will 
not  enter  into  the  detail  of  these  statutes,  which 
would  interest  but  few  readers.     They  may  be  easily 


288  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

procured  by  ecclesiastics  who  may  wish  to  become 
acquainted  with  them.  They  exhibit  a  just  medium 
between  mildness  and  severity,  contain  wise  rules  of 
conduct,  the  fruits  of  his  long  experience  as  well  as 
of  his  prudence ;  and  we  even  find  the  actual  legis- 
lation on  church  revenues  summed  up  in  several 
pages,  with  the  rules  which  every  priest  ought  to 
observe  in  this  matter. 

This  may  be  regarded  as  the  last  act  of  the  ad- 
ministration of  Cardinal  Cheverus,  and  also  as  the 
most  important.  By  this  he  will  still  live  in  his  dio- 
cese, and  govern,  even  after  his  death,  the  clergy 
who  were  so  dear  to  him,  direct  their  conduct,  and 
furnish  them  with  rules  of  duty. 

Not  long  after  this  important  act  of  episcopal  au- 
thority, he  had  the  satisfaction  of  rendering  some  ser- 
vice to  two  illustrious  exiles.  The  first  was  the  Arch* 
bishop  of  Saragossa,  a  venerable  and  infirm  old  man, 
who  had  been  banished  to  a  distance  from  the  Span- 
ish frontier.  Cardinal  Cheverus  spared  no  effort  to 
obtain  leave  to  retain  him  in  Bordeaux  ;  and,  at  his 
own  request,  received  him  into  his  seminary,  where  he 
was  treated  with  all  that  attention  and  respect  which 
his  character,  his  situation,  his  office,  and  his  mild 
and  elevated  virtues  demanded.  The  second  was  the 
Bishop  of  Leon  ;  an  active  and  zealous  prelate,  of 
a  frank  and  noble  character,  a  strong  and  elevated 
soul.  The  police  having  arrested  him  as  a  former 
minister  of  Don  Carlos,  the  Cardinal  hastened  to  visit 


VISITS  SAINT  FOY.  289 

him,  and    express    the  deep  interest    he  took  in  his 
situation.     He  offered  to  intercede   for  him,  and  did 
in  fact   intercede.     The    authorities  consented  to  his 
release,    but   on   condition    that    he   would    give  his 
word  not  to  return  to  Don  Carlos.     "  I  do  not  wish 
for   liberty  on    those    terms,"  replied    the    illustrious 
prisoner  ;  "  if  I  gave  my  word,  I  should  keep  it ;  but 
so  far  am  I  from  consenting  to  enter   into    such    an 
engagement,  that  I  declare  to  you  that  it  is  my  firm 
resolution,  as  I  esteem  it  my  duty,  to  return  to  Spain 
as  soon  as  I  possibly  can."     This  frankness  was  sin- 
gularly pleasing    to    Cardinal   Cheverus ;  it  accorded 
with  his  own  open   and    loyal    character.     And  not- 
withstanding the  short  time    these   two   prelates  had 
an  opportunity  to   pass   together,  they  felt  a  mutual 
friendship ;  and  the  Bishop  of  Leon,  having  been  con- 
veyed to  Strasbourg,  wrote  the  Cardinal  a  letter  full 
of  gratitude  and  tenderness.     His  Eminence  had  no 
opportunity  to  answer  it ;  for,  a   few  days  after,  the 
journals  announced  officially  the  return  of  this  noble 
and  intrepid  prelate  to  Spain. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  clergy  of  the  canton  of 
Saint-Foy,  situated  in  the  most  distant  part  of  his  di- 
ocese, requested  the  happiness  of  a  visit  from  his 
Eminence,  and  of  presenting  him  a  large  number  of 
persons  for  confirmation.  The  Cardinal  was  urged 
to  defer  this  journey,  on  account  of  the  uncomfort- 
ableness  of  the  season ;  the  heat  was  excessive,  and 
the  mercury  rose  to  nearly  one  hundred  degrees ;  but 
25 


290  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

such  considerations  had  never  deterred  him,  nor  did 
they  even  then-  He  set  off,  therefore,  and  visited 
all  the  parishes  of  this  district,  preaching  with  power 
and  zeal  many  times  a  day,  officiating  in  all  the 
churches,  and  administering  confirmation  to  a  multi- 
tude of  the  faithful.  These  various  ceremonies  confin- 
ed him  four  or  five  hours  every  day,  in  places  where 
the  immense  crowd  rendered  the  heat  of  the  weather 
still  more  oppressive.  He  could  hardly  breathe  ;  so 
that,  to  save  himself  from  fainting,  he  was  obliged 
to  interrupt  the  confirmation  from  time  to  time,  and 
seek  fresh  air  a  few  moments  in  the  sacristy.  The 
priests  who  accompanied  him,  although  robust  and 
strong,  were  exhausted  by  fatigue  and  heat.  The 
Cardinal,  on  whom  the  whole  weight  of  these  labors 
devolved,  never  thought  of  complaining,  and  still  less 
of  allowing  himself  any  repose,  or  suspending  so  ar- 
duous a  course  of  duty.  He  therefore  went  through 
with  all  these  labors,  and  returned  to  Bordeaux  on 
Saturday,  the  2nd  of  July,  exhausted  and  incapable  of 
further  effort.  He  had,  however,  made  engagements 
for  the  next  day,  and  he  was  not  a  man  to  shrink  from 
performing  them.  And  the  next  day,  which  was  Sun- 
day, he  went  to  confirm  a  large  number  of  children 
at  the  parish  of  Saint  Peter ;  preached  before  and 
after  the  ceremony  with  his  accustomed  zeal ;  and 
thence  proceeded  to  the  farthest  extremity  of  the 
city,  to  officiate  pontifically  in  the  church  of  Saint 
Martial,  in  which  the  festival  of  its  patron  was  that  day 


HIS   STRENGTH    IS    EXHAUSTED.  291 

celebrated.  He  was  so  much  exhausted,  and  con- 
sumed by  such  a  burning  heat  and  parching  thirst, 
that  his  tongue  cleaved  to  the  roof  of  his  mouth. 
He  felt  faint  and  prostrate.  Alas  !  that  faintness  and 
prostration  of  strength  were  the  precursors  of  his 
approaching  death  ;  a  death,  for  ever  to  be  lament- 
ed by  all  those  who  knew  and  appreciated  this 
great  Cardinal  ;  but  for  ever  glorious  to  himself, 
since,  if  he  fell,  it  was  beneath  the  labors  and  fa- 
tigues of  his  ministry ;  if  he  died,  it  was  in  the 
breach,  with  arms  in  his  hands. 


292  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 


BOOK    FIFTH. 

CHARACTER  AND  DEATH  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

Between  the  circumstances  mentioned  in  the  pre- 
ceding book,  and  the  terrible  stroke  which  at  once 
and  for  ever  deprived  Cardinal  Cheverus  of  all  sense 
and  consciousness,  but  a  few  days  intervened,  and 
those  unmarked  by  any  incident ;  so  that  we  may 
now  be  said  to  have  reached  the  close  of  the  moral 
and  intellectual  life  of  this  excellent  prelate.  But, 
as  we  approach  the  termination  of  so  beautiful  a 
life,  and  before  describing  the  illness  and  death 
which  removed  him  from  earth,  another  task  remains 
for  us  to  perform.  We  have  hitherto  spoken  of 
Cardinal  Cheverus  only  in  relation  to  the  actions 
which  successively  filled  up  the  course  of  his  life. 
But  he  would  be  very  imperfectly  known,  if  we 
should  stop  here.  Public  acts  often  disclose  only 
an  apparent  or  a  transient  virtue,  an  effort  of  self- 
control,  by  which  one  rouses  himself  for  a  great 
occasion,  after  which  he  sinks  again ;  and  the  hero  in 
public  is  often  a  very  small  man  in  the  details  of 
private  and  domestic  life.  But  to  know  a  man 
thoroughly,  to  discern  his  virtues  clearly,  without  a 
possibility  of  deception,  we  must  take  a  view  of  his 


HIS  REGULAR   HABITS.  293 

whole  life,  as  well  private  as  public,  his  e very-day 
conduct,  when  he  is  alone  and  unseen  by  men,  as 
well  as  when  exposed  to  the  eye  of  the  observing 
multitude ;  and,  in  a  word,  look  upon  the  portrait  of 
his  entire  soul.  We  are  now  to  consider  Cardinal 
Cheverus  under  this  new  point  of  view;  and  shall 
attempt  to  draw  such  a  picture  of  him.  We  have 
not  been  able  to  do  this  before  ;  because,  appertain- 
ing equally  to  all  periods  of  his  life,  this  delineation 
properly  belongs  to  no  particular  portion  of  it ;  and 
we  think  we  ought  not  longer  to  defer  it,  since,  in 
making  the  reader  more  intimately  acquainted  with 
Cardinal  Cheverus,  we  shall  better  prepare  him  to 
understand  the  lively  interest  he  excited  during  his 
sickness,  the  tears  which  were  shed  at  his  death,  and 
the  regrets  that  followed  him  to  the  tomb. 

The  most  remarkable  feature  in  the  life  of  Car- 
dinal Cheverus  is  the  equal  and  uniform  regularity 
of  his  existence,  except  when  charity,  or  some  other 
duty,  obliged  him  to  deviate  from  his  usual  habits. 
He  thought  a  want  of  method  in  the  employment  of 
the  day  necessarily  involved  the  loss  of  time,  pre- 
vented the  performance  of  many  duties,  and  indicated 
a  character  wanting  in  energy,  incapable  of  control- 
ling the  variations  of  taste  and  the  caprices  of  fancy. 
So,  on  the  other  hand,  he  thought  that  the  Christian 
life  is  essentially  one  of  method ;  that  the  exact  or- 
der which  regulates  each  moment  of  the  day,  which 
sees  that  every  thing  is  done  in  its  proper  time  and 
25* 


294  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CIIEVERUS. 

occupies  its  own  proper  place,  is  a  source  of  peace, 
serenity,  and  happiness  to  those  who  regard  it,  a 
spectacle  of  virtue  and  religion  to  those  who  are 
witnesses  of  it,  and  a  guaranty  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  every  duty.  And  never  was  a  life  better 
regulated  than  his  own.  In  the  course  of  his  ec- 
clesiastical education,  he  had  contracted  habits  of 
regularity,  which  he  preserved  faithfully  until  his 
death.  He  always  rose  very  early,  at  four  o'clock 
in  summer,  and  at  half  past  four  in  winter,  that  he 
might  be  able  to  perform  his  devotions  in  silence 
and  peace,  free  from  any  interruption  from  without. 
At  six  o'clock  he  celebrated  the  holy  mass,  and, 
after  giving  thanks,  studied  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
reading  every  day  two  chapters  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment and  two  in  the  New,  in  Latin,  French,  Greek, 
and  English ;  and  frequently  he  studied  the  Hebrew 
text  also,  when  less  multiplied  avocations  allowed 
him  time.  He  attributed  his  knowledge  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures  to  the  faithful  observance  of  this  practice. 
The  same  portion,  thus  read  in  four  languages,  was 
deeply  engraven  on  his  mind  and  heart ;  the  more 
so,  as  he  was  not  impelled  to  this  study  by  a  vain 
curiosity,  but  engaged  in  it  with  that  devotional 
spirit,  religious  thoughtfulness,  and  respect  for  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  which  touch  and  penetrate  the  soul, 
and  impress  it  with  their  sacred  truths.  When  he  had 
finished  these  studies,  he  occupied  himself  with  his 
correspondence,  which   he   carried    on   himself;   ern- 


THE   SIMPLICITY  OP   HIS   TABLE.  295 

ploying  his  clerks  only  in  matters  relating  to  the  rou- 
tine of  official  business.     Precisely  at  noon,  the  bell 
rang  for  dinner,  at  the  first  sound  of  which  he  went 
directly,  leaving  whatever  he  was  engaged  about,  and 
courteously  inviting  all  present  to  partake  of  the  re- 
past  which    had   just    been    announced.      He    com- 
menced by  asking  a  blessing  aloud,  and  then  did  the 
honors  of   the    table  with  a  dignified,  easy,  and  un- 
affected politeness.     It  was  served  with  frugality,  but 
without    meanness,  and  presented    an    abundance    of 
wholesome    food,    but   never   any  of  those  rare    and 
costly  dishes  which  are  the  refinements  of  luxury  or 
of  gluttony.     The  Cardinal  assigned  this    hospitable 
reason    for  the    simplicity  which   distinguished    it,  ^to 
his   numerous    guests  :    "  If  I   should    assemble    my 
friends  at  great  entertainments  only,  I  could  see  them 
but  very  rarely  ;  instead  of  which,  having  every  day 
a  frugal  table  to  offer  them,  I  can  see  them  frequent- 
ly, which  gives  me  great  pleasure."     But  something 
better   than   the   choicest  dishes  rendered   these   re- 
pasts  delicious ;   the  delightful   ease  which    all   were 
permitted  to  enjoy,  the  freedom  of  pleasant  and  live- 
ly discussion,  in  which  each  could   take  a  part,  and, 
above  all,  the  charm  of  his  own  conversation.     No- 
where was  he  more  agreeable    than  at   table ;   there 
he    gave    himself   up    to    all   the   inspirations  of  his 
genius,  and  opened  the  treasures  of  his  inexhaustible 
memory  ;  now,  gracefully  relating  his  recollections  of 
America,  or  some  amusing  story  ;  and  now,  enlivening 


296  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

the  company  by  the  wittiest  repartees,  the  happiest 
bons-mots,  and  often  even  with  quotations  from  the 
French,  Latin,  Greek,  or  Enghsh  poets,  always  appro- 
priately introduced.  The  repast  lasted  three  quar- 
ters of  an  hour ;  after  which,  the  company  assembled 
in  the  garden,  if  the  weather  was  pleasant,  or  in  the 
saloon,  if  it  was  rainy  or  cold,  where  he  conversed 
till  about  two  o'clock.  This  was  his  only  recreation ; 
yet  even  these  brief  moments  were  usually  devoted 
to  business,  passed  in  listening  to  the  priests  or  the 
laity  who  wished  to  speak  with  him,  either  to  ob- 
tain his  advice,  or  receive  his  orders.  When  the 
guests  had  departed,  he  shut  himself  up  in  his  room 
till  eight  o'clock,  dividing  all  this  long  time  between 
prayer,  study,  and  business.  He  never  went  out, 
except  when  called  abroad  by  the  duties  of  his  min- 
istry or  the  claims  of  charity  or  politeness.  When, 
in  1834,  after  his  first  attack  of  apoplexy,  the  phy- 
sicians ordered  him  to  go  abroad  for  a  little  while  in 
the  afternoon  of  every  day,  he  made  this  necessary 
walk  an  exercise  of  charity,  by  paying  a  visit  of  con- 
solation to  some  afflicted  family,  or  some  sick  person. 
At  eight  o'clock  his  household  was  assembled  for 
supper.  Some  vegetables,  generally  without  bread, 
was  the  only  food  he  took  at  this  meal.  At  nine 
o'clock  precisely,  he  called  his  servants  together,  read 
to  them  a  subject  of  meditation  for  the  next  day, 
and  himself  read  evening  prayers,  all  joining  in  the 
responses. 


HIS  PUNCTUALITY.  297 

Such  was  the  regular  course  of  Cardinal  Chever- 
us's  daily  life  ;  in  which  we  find  no  stated  time  set 
apart  for  receiving  those  who  had  business  with  him, 
because,  regarding  charity  as  the  first  of  all  rules,  he 
was  accessible  to  all,  from  the  time  he  rose  in  the 
morning  until  he  retired  at  night.  Every  Sunday 
and  holyday  when  he  was  in  Bordeaux,  he  attended 
the  services  of  the  cathedral  ;  during  Lent,  he  went 
to  hear  all  the  sermons  delivered  by  the  preacher  of 
the  season,  especially  when  he  perceived  that  he  was 
unpopular.  In  this  he  was  influenced  by  two  motives ; 
to  induce  the  parishioners  to  attend  by  his  own  ex- 
ample, and  to  console  the  preacher,  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, for  the  desertion  of  his  hearers. 

Such  a  regular  life  had  given  Cardinal  Cheverus 
habits  of  punctuality  truly  astonishing.  In  his  pas- 
toral retreats  he  was  always  first  in  attendance  at  all 
the  exercises;  when  he  was  to  officiate  anywhere,  he 
was  always  on  the  spot  before  the  time  of  the  cere- 
mony, and  always  ready  to  commence  at  the  precise 
moment.  He  was  never  known  to  keep  any  one 
waiting;  and,  as  if  there  was  little  merit  in  this  exact- 
itude, he  used  to  say,  that  it  was  quite  as  easy  to  set 
out  a  quarter  of  an  hour  sooner  as  to  wait  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  later.  The  same  punctuality  which  he 
exhibited  abroad,  he  observed  in  all  the  rest  of  his 
conduct.  Had  he  a  letter  to  answer,  he  did  it  the 
same  day  or  the  next,  if  his  engagements  permitted, 
but   always  as   soon  as  possible.     Did   any  one   ask 


29S  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

to  speak  with  him,  he  directly  left  the  study, 
business,  or  conversation  in  which  he  was  engaged, 
and  sometimes  even  his  meals,  to  comply  more 
promptly  with  the  request.  Was  he  invited  to  preach, 
he  always  prepared  his  sermon  as  early  as  possible, 
that  he  might  not  run  the  risk  of  treating  less  re- 
spectfully the  word  of  God.  Thus,  in  all  his  con- 
duct, he  was  never  guided  by  what  was  more  or  less 
agreeable  to  himself,  but  always  by  what  was  most 
needful  at  the  moment,  and  most  conformable  to  the 
order  of  Providence. 

Thus  was  every  day  fully  occupied,  and  all  his 
time  usefully  employed.  Large  assemblies,  at  which 
people  of  the  world  seek  to  pass  away  the  time 
which  is  a  burden  to  them,  were  never  held  at  his 
house.  Although  the  elegance  of  his  mind  would 
have  enabled  him  to  shine  in  polished  society,  he 
never  frequented  parties,  nor  gave  them  at  his  pal- 
ace ;  he  allowed  himself  in  none  of  those  games 
or  frivolous  pastimes  which  so  many  persons  deem 
necessary ;  he  professed  not  to  understand  any  game, 
and  did  not  wish  to  learn  any ;  nor  did  he  indulge 
himself  in  walking,  which  seems  to  afford  so  reason- 
able and  innocent  a  relaxation.  Although  he  had  a 
country-house  a  league  from  Bordeaux,  he  never  went 
there,  unless  when  impelled  to  do  so  by  some  motive 
of  kindness;  either  to  accompany  friends  who  were  de- 
sirous of  seeing  it,  or  to  gratify  his  steward,  who  wished 
to  show  him  the    improvements  he  had  made  there. 


DILfGENT  EMPLOYMENT  OF   HIS  TIME.  299 

If  he  sometimes  appeared  at  the  country-houses  of 
his  seminaries,  it  was  merely  out  of  complaisance,  that 
he  might  not  disappoint  the  Superiors,  who  had  begged 
him  to  come  ;  as  appeared  on  the  following  occasion. 
The  Superior  of  one  of  these  establishments  once 
expressed  to  the  Cardinal  how  happy  he  should  be 
to  enjoy  his  society,  whenever  it  should  be  agreeable 
to  him  to  come  and  walk  there.  "If  I  come,"  re- 
plied the  Archbishop,  "  only  when  the  walk  is  agree- 
able to  me,  you  will  never  see  me.  Since  I  have 
been  a  priest,  I  have  never  walked  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  for  pleasure  ;  I  shall  not  begin  at  my  age." 
For  the  same  reason,  after  the  example  of  Saint  Am- 
brose and  Saint  Augustine,  he  made  it  a  rule  never 
to  accept  an  invitation  to  any  repast  in  the  city,  ex- 
cept at  the  houses  of  his  curates,  and  then  onl^  on 
days  when  he  officiated  in  their  churches.  "  I  should 
lose,"  he  said,  "  half  my  time,  if  I  accepted  all  the 
invitations  I  might  receive ;  and  I  should  occasion 
jealousy  and  enmity,  if  I  accepted  some  and  refused 
others."  He  much  preferred  his  own  frugal  dinner, 
which  occupied  him  but  a  few  brief  moments ;  be- 
sides, such  a  course  gave  him  the  advantage  of  being 
able  to  assure  his  priests  and  his  friends  that  he 
should  always  be  at  his  own  table  to  receive  them. 
Thus  had  Cardinal  Cheverus  given  up  whatever  could 
interfere  with  the  diligent  employment  of  his  time ; 
and  such  was  his  strictness  in  this  respect,  that  even 
in   his   pastoral   circuits,  after   having   performed   his 


300  LIFE  OF    CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

ministerial  functions  in  the  church,  and  made  such 
visits  as  propriety  required,  he  retired  to  his  cham- 
ber, and  devoted  himself  to  study,  to  writing  letters, 
or  to  prayer ;  while  the  priests  who  accompanied  him, 
or  the  clergy  of  the  place,  indulged  in  a  relaxation 
which  they  deemed  necessary.  The  following  is  a 
still  more  remarkable  instance.  Having  one  day  ar- 
rived at  his  lower  seminary,  by  some  mistake,  an  hour 
before  the  time  appointed  for  the  exercise  at  which 
he  was  to  preside,  he  preferred  to  return  on  foot  to 
the  archiepiscopal  palace,  which  w^as  twenty  minutes' 
walk,  to  passing  that  hour  in  unprofitable  conversa- 
tion, while  awaiting  the  commencement  of  the  exer- 
cise. He  sincerely  pitied  those,  who,  in  order  to  pass 
their  time  happily,  feel  the  need  of  frivolous  amuse- 
ments, of  entertainments,  company,  evening  parties, 
games,  or  novels.  ^'Are  not  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
history,  literature,  and  the  natural  sciences,"  said  he, 
^^interesting  enough  to  fill  up  our  short  existence? 
When  we  have  in  our  hands  and  before  our  eyes 
so  many  things  calculated  to  engage  the  mind  and 
the  heart,  so  worthy  to  enrich  our  understanding  and 
adorn  our  memory,  how  can  we  waste  our  time  in 
play  and  frivolity  ?  For  myself,"  he  added,  '^  1  need 
no  companion  to  enable  me  to  pass  delightful  hours. 
Prayer  and  study  have  always  constituted  the  charm 
of  my  life."  The  Cardinal,  in  fact,  was  never  seen 
die,  or  indulging  himself  in  any  amusement  what- 
ever.    His   strong   mind  was   always   occupied   with 


HIS   LEARNING  AND   VARIED    ATTAINMENTS.  301 

serious  things,  .and  knew  no  repose  but  such  as  a 
change  of  occupation  afforded.  Thus,  when  he  was 
fatigued  with  business,  he  found  rest  in  the  study  of 
antiquity.  "  When  the  living  weary  me,"  said  he, 
"I  come  and  refresh  myself  with  the  dead." 

Thus  diligent  in  the  employment  of  his  time,  we 
may  imagine  what  stores  of  knowledge  the  Cardinal 
must  have  acquired  during  his  long  life,  and  may 
form  a  better  idea  of  them,  when  we  consider  that 
his  memory  was  truly  astonishing ;  what  he  once  in- 
trusted to  it  was  always  retained.  It  was  a  living 
library,  where  every  thing  was  classed  and  arranged, 
and  where  he  could  find  examples,  facts,  and  apt 
quotations,  as  he  had  need  of  them.  We  have  al- 
ready seen,  in  the  First  Book,  to  what  perfection  he 
carried  his  knowledge  of  the  Latin  language  during 
the  period  of  his  youthful  studies,  and  his  facility  in 
using  it.  In  America  he  lost  nothing  of  that  facility, 
or  of  his  brilliant  elocution ;  so  that  he  used  to  say,  as 
we  are  informed  by  a  Boston  journal,*  that,  should 
he  be  obliged  to  plead  for  his  life,  before  judges  capa- 
ble of  understanding  him.  he  should  prefer  to  express 
himself  in  Latin  ;  believing  that  suitable  thoughts 
and  expressions  would  occur  to  him  more  readily  in 
that  language.  He  was  scarcely  less  familiar  with 
Greek  than  with  Latin  ;  he  frequently  read  authors  in 
the  former  language,  and  when  he  was  present  at  the 
literary  exercises  of  the  college,  he  willingly  exam- 

*  [Boston  Monthly  Magazine,  June,  1825.] 
26 


302  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

ined  the  students  in  that  branch  of  study.  With 
respect  to  English,  he  understood  it  better  even 
than  French ;  he  always  thought  in  that  language, 
even  in  his  dreams;  and  when  he  was  preaching,  it 
was  a  labor  to  him  to  translate  his  ideas,  which  al- 
ways presented  themselves  to  his  mind  clothed  in 
the  English  idiom.  Hebrew  he  knew  less  perfectly ; 
yet  he  had  sufficient  acquaintance  with  it  to  refute 
the  ministers  of  various  sects,  who  wished  to  draw 
from  that  language  objections  against  the  Catholic  faith. 
The  knowledge  of  languages  was,  however,  the 
smallest  part  of  his  attainments.  To  say  nothing  of 
mathematics,  which  he  had  taught  in  England  ;  of 
ancient  and  modern  history,  especially  ecclesiastical 
history,  which  he  often  reperused,  even  in  the  latter 
part  of  his  life ;  the  history  of  England,  on  which  he 
had  read  a  great  deal ;  and  the  history  of  France, 
with  all  the  events  and  epochs  of  which  he  was  per- 
fectly familiar  :  he  had,  more  especially,  a  thorough 
acquaintance  with  controversial  theology.  Besides  the 
diligent  attention  he  had  given  to  this  subject  at  the 
Sorbonne,  he  had  made  it  his  constant  and  careful  study 
during  his  whole  residence  in  America.  The  neces- 
sity he  felt,  at  that  time,  of  confirming  the  Catholics 
in  their  belief,  in  the  midst  of  the  many  errors  with 
which  they  w^ere  surrounded,  of  combating  the  doc- 
trines of  the  clergymen  of  different  sects,  and  some- 
times even  of  preaching  in  their  churches,  had  ren- 
dered him  such  an  adept  in  this  branch  of  ecclesias- 
tical science,  that  he  was  equally  skilful  in  presenting 


H[S  KNOWLEDGE  OP  THE  SCRIPTURES.  303 

clear  proofs  of  the  dogmas  of  our  faith,  and  in  refut- 
ing all  the  objections  which  the  spirit  of  heresy- 
had  invented  against  it.  But  his  greatest  proficiency- 
was  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  and  of 
general  literature.  He  could  not  conceive  that  the 
Catholics  should  study  the  sacred  books  so  little, 
and  be  so  imperfectly  acquainted  with  their  contents. 
He  often  reproached  those  persons  with  whom  he 
was  most  intimate  for  this  neglect.  "  You  read  friv- 
olous books,"  he  said  to  them,  "  perhaps  even  ro- 
mances; but  you  do  not  read  the  most  beautiful  of 
all  books,  the  most  touching  of  all  histories."  Not 
but  that  he  condemned,  as  decidedly  as  any  one,  the 
error  of  those  who  present  this  divine  book  to  every 
understanding,  as  a  rule  of  faith  intelligible  to  all ; 
but  he  wished  it  to  be  read  in  a  spirit  of  submission 
to  the  church,  which  is  its  only  legitimate  interpreter ; 
with  sentiments  of  piety,  of  faith,  and  of  devotion ;  and, 
above  all,  with  a  desire  to  be  made  better  by  reading 
it.  This  he  himself  did,  and,  from  constantly  reading 
the  Bible,  he  knew  it  almost  all  by  heart.  The  Old 
Testament  was  as  famihar  to  him  as  the  Gospels; 
he  had  meditated  on  its  historical  passages,  and  its 
maxims  of  morality,  and  on  the  application  which 
might  be  made  of  each  to  the  various  situations  of  life  ; 
so  that,  whatever  subject  he  had  to  treat,  he  always  had 
at  command  all  the  passages  best  suited  to  his  purpose. 
To  his  own  reflections  he  added  those  of  the  most 
able    commentators,     especially    Saint     Chrysostom. 


304  LIFE    OP    CARDtNAL   CIIEVfiRL/S. 

Not  only  did  he  derive,  from  reading  this  illustrious 
doctor  of  the  church,  the  advantage  of  keeping  up 
his  knowledge  of  the  Greek  language,  but  he  par- 
ticularly admired  his  style ;  his  enlarged,  noble,  and 
eloquent  manner  of  commenting  on  the  Scriptures ; 
his  enthusiasm  for  Saint  Paul,  in  vi'hich  he  sympa- 
thized ;  and  the  outpourings  of  his  tender  and  suscep- 
tible soul.  But  if  the  Holy  Scriptures  held  the  first 
rank  in  the  attainments  of  Cardinal  Cheverus,  liter- 
ature occupied  the  second  place.  We  have  already 
seen,  that  his  position  in  Boston  had  made  it  his  duty, 
as  it  were,  to  apply  himself  to  studies  of  this  nature ; 
and,  his  mind  being  peculiarly  adapted  to  them,  he 
had  cultivated  them  with  entire  success.  The  great 
models  of  Rome  and  of  Athens,  Homer  and  Virgil, 
Demosthenes  and  Cicero,  were  familiar  to  him,  and 
he  knew  many  passages  from  them  by  heart.  Ho- 
race, especially,  he  looked  upon  as  a  friend,  with  whom 
he  delighted  to  amuse  himself;  and  this  author  was 
often  seen  upon  his  table,  beside  the  Bible,  as  a  re- 
creation for  his  mind  after  long  and  serious  labors. 
He  knew  almost  the  whole  of  it  by  heart,  and,  when 
occasion  offered,  made  the  happiest  and  most  witty 
application  of  his  verses.  To  a  knowledge  of  ancient 
authors,  the  Cardinal  united  an  uncommon  acquaint- 
ance with  French  and  English  literature.  He  had 
read  the  standard  works  in  both,  retained  the  most 
striking  passages  in  his  memory,  and  always  continued 
to  read    the   most   remarkable  books  that  appeared, 


CHARACTER  OP  HIS    MIND.  305 

either  in  France  or  England.  He  read  them,  not 
with  that  levity  of  mind  which  seeks  only  to  gratify 
a  vain  curiosity,  but  with  that  correctness  of  taste, 
that  quick  penetration,  and  that  profound  reflection, 
which  take  cognizance  of  every  thing  ;  which  are  not 
satisfied  with  brilliant  imagery  and  a  pompous  style, 
but  desire,  above  all  things,  clearness  of  expression, 
truth,  accuracy,  and  soundness  of  thought.  Hence 
the  severity  with  which  he  judged  all  modern  works. 
He  found  most  of  them  defective  in  matter,  as  well 
as  in  manner ;  and  used  to  say  that  the  scribomania 
of  our  age  was  a  proof  of  its  ignorance.  ''Authors," 
said  he,  "think  they  are  giving  us  something  new. 
If  they  were  belter  informed,  they  would  see  that  all 
they  write  has  been  said  before,  and  much  better ; 
their  productions  would  make  them  ashamed,  like  the 
writing  of  a  child  compared  to  that  of  its  master." 
In  regard  to  himself,  his  principle  was,  that  a  bishop 
should  print  as  little  as  possible  ;  since  every  printed 
production  is  liable  to  public  criticism,  and  it  is  not 
becoming  the  episcopal  dignity  to  make  itself  unne- 
cessarily amenable  to  that  tribunal.  This  explains 
why  his  mandates  were  as  brief  as  they  were  few, 
and  why  he  who  spoke  so  often  wrote  so  little. 

Although  the  mind  of  Cardinal  Cheverus  was 
adorned  with  all  the  beauty  and  splendor  of  elegant 
literature,  it  was  still  more  richly  endowed  by  na- 
ture. It  was  one  of  large  and  comprehensive  views, 
which  did  not  allow  him  to  be  prejudiced  against 
26* 


306  LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

any  person  or  thing,  by  an  unfavorable  first  impres- 
sion or  disadvantageous  report.  He  examined  for 
himself,  in  all  its  aspects,  the  subject  upon  which 
he  was  about  to  pass  judgment ;  and  if  he  found 
it  good  in  the  main,  he  gave  it  his  approbation,  in 
spite  of  any  thing  which  might  displease  him  in 
point  of  form,  and  encouraged  it  as  far  as  was  in 
his  power,  as  if  it  had  been  altogether  to  his  mind. 
To  a  comprehensive  mind  he  united  shrewdness  and 
penetration.  He  possessed  a  nice  discrimination  in 
observing  both  men  and  things,  society,  with  its  ten- 
dencies and  progress,  and  in  determining  what  was 
proper  to  be  said  on  every  occasion.  But  he  was  more 
partiqularly  distinguished  for  talents  of  a  pleasing, 
delicate,  and  elegant  order.  No  one  understood  bet- 
ter than  he  how  to  give  life  to  a  company,  to  im- 
part information  and  instruction,  and  season  his  con- 
versation with  lively  sallies  and  witty  repartees  ;  and  he 
always  discoursed  in  an  elevated,  easy,  and  interest- 
ing manner.  More  than  once,  he  found  himself  in 
company  with  the  wits  of  the  day,  who  seemed 
desirous  to  show  off  their  talents  in  his  presence  ; 
and  it  has  been  observed,  that  the  Cardinal,  with- 
out making  any  effort,  always  bore  away  the  palm, 
by  his  prompt  and  lively  remarks  or  rejoinders,  and 
the  urbanity  of  his  thoughts  and  mode  of  expression. 
If  he  was  called  upon  unexpectedly  to  reply  to  any 
public  address,  he  answered,  without  a  moment's  hes- 
itation,  in    the   most   appropriate   manner,    and    was 


aUALITIES   OF  HIS   HEART.  307 

ready  with  the  dehcate  compliment,  the  ingenious 
thought,  the  pertinent  reflection,  all  adapted  to  the 
discourse  of  the  speaker  who  had  addressed  him. 
If  he  was  brought  into  intercourse  with  persons  of 
the  highest  rank  in  society,  he  won  their  affection 
by  his  engaging  and  courteous  address,  sometimes 
even  at  the  first  interview ;  and  thus  the  graces 
of  his  mind  everywhere  gained  him  numerous  and 
powerful  friends.  And,  finally,  if  he  was  called  to 
decide  upon  the  best  course  to  be  adopted  in  diffi- 
cult  circumstances,  his  mind,  too  noble  to  be  influ- 
enced by  prepossessions  or  prejudice,  viewed  the 
subject  as  it  really  was,  and  weighed  impartially  the 
reasons  for  and  against  it ;  too  humble  to  rely  solely 
upon  himself,  he  gladly  took  counsel ;  too  wise  to  be 
precipitate  in  his  decisions,  he  always  matured  them 
in  the  calmness  of  reflection. 

But,  distinguished  as  the  Cardinal  was  for  the  qual- 
ities of  his  mind,  he  was  much  more  so  for  those 
of  his  heart,  —  a  noble  heart,  and  filled  with  lofty 
sentiments,  a  stranger  to  all  the  littleness  of  vanity, 
self-love,  and  self-seeking ;  a  generous  heart,  eager 
to  do  good  to  all  men  to  the  extent  of  his  ability, 
and  exceedingly  grateful  for  the  least  benefit  received 
from  them.  It  was  his  principle,  that,  as  the  ben- 
efactor ought  to  forget  the  service  he  has  had  the 
happiness  to  render,  and  never  allude  to  it,  so  the 
person  obliged  ought,  on  the  contrary,  to  bear  it  always 
in  mind,  and   show,  on  every  occasion,  that  he  still 


308  LIFE   OF  CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

remembers  it.  On  this  principle  he  invariably  prac- 
tised. After  conferring  a  benefit,  he  seemed  to  be 
the  person  obliged,  and  redoubled  his  attention  and 
zeal.  So,  after  receiving  a  favor,  often  even  after  any 
slight  token  of  interest  and  good-will,  his  gratitude 
and  affection  were  secured  to  you  for  ever.  Hence 
his  eagerness  to  welcome,  and  invite  to  his  table, 
all  the  English  or  Irish  whom  he  happened  to 
meet.  "That  people,"  said  he,  "received  me  with 
so  much  kindness,  and  treated  me  with  so  much 
indulgence,  that  I  am  always  happy  in  having  an 
opportunity  to  manifest  my  gratitude  to  the  nation, 
in  the  person  of  any  individual  member  of  it.''  He 
possessed  a  tender  and  susceptible  heart ;  but  his 
sensibility  was  not  that  weakness  which  enervates 
the  soul,  and  destroys  resolution ;  it  was  the  tender- 
ness of  charity  ;  the  same  sensibility  which  made  our 
Lord  weep  for  Lazarus  dead,  and  over  unbelieving 
Jerusalem.  He  had  no  sympathy  with  those  hard 
hearts  which  make  it  a  system,  and,  as  it  were,  a 
religious  duty,  to  be  cold  in  their  attachments,  and 
not  to  weep  for  those  they  love,  when  separated  from 
them  by  death  or  any  other  event.  "  Religion," 
said  he,  "is  love  itself;  it  does  not  destroy  what  is 
tender  and  affectionate  in  the  heart;  it  only  purifies 
and  sanctifies  it."  His  sensibility  increased  with  his 
age,  and,  towards  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  the  least 
thing  moved  him  to  tears.  Hence  we  may  form 
some  idea  of  the  nature  of  his  friendship.     He  was. 


HIS   INGENUOUSNESS   OF  CHARACTER.  309 

indeed,  an  exemplification  of  Fenelon's  remark,  that 
"nothing  is  so  tender,  so  sincere,  so  fervid,  so  gentle, 
so  amiable,  and  so  affectionate,  as  a  heart  filled 
and  animated  by  a  friendship  purified  by  religion." 
His  affection  was  so  frank,  cordial,  and  disinterested, 
that  the  more  he  was  known  the  belter  he  was  al- 
ways loved,  and  no  one  who  had  once  loved  him 
could  ever  become  alienated  from  him.  He  was, 
as  has  been  said  of  the  Archbishop  of  Cambray, 
every  thing  amiable  and  engaging,  that  the  most 
noble,  gentle,  and  susceptible  soul  could  render  him. 
We  have  seen  some  persons  taking  the  voyage  from 
the  United  States  to  Bordeaux,  merely  to  enjoy  his 
society  for  a  few  weeks  ;  others  coming  to  take  up 
their  residence  in  that  city,  that  they  might  never 
be  separated  from  him ;  so  powerful  was  the  en- 
chantment he  threw  over  the  intercourse  of  friend- 
ship. He  said,  towards  the  close  of  his  life,  that 
he  had  never  lost  one  of  the  many  friends  he  had 
possessed  in  the  course  of  it,  except  by  death.  All 
remained  firmly  attached  and  cordially  devoted  to 
him,  and  captivated,  so  to  speak,  by  his  many  amiable 
qualities. 

The  ingenuousness  of  Cardinal  Cheverus  was  most 
attractive,  and  endeared  him  greatly  to  all  his  friends. 
He  used  no  subterfuges,  no  disguise,  or  conceal- 
ment; as  he  was  in  appearance,  such  was  he  in  re- 
ality. In  his  genuine  simplicity,  all  frankness  and 
rectitude,  he  never   could    feign    a  sentiment  he  did 


310  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

not  feel.  Whatever  he  said,  one  felt  certain  that 
his  language  expressed  the  very  thoughts  of  his 
soul.  If  he  professed  attachment,  one  might  rest 
assured  that  he  felt  it  in  his  heart.  His  words 
were  always  like  beautiful,  transparent  crystal,  through 
which  his  whole  soul  could  be  seen.  He  could 
not  tolerate  the  employing  of  concealment,  mental 
reservation,  or  equivocation,  to  bring  another  over  to 
our  own  views.  "  To  act  thus,"  he  said,  "is  to 
deceive,  and  deception,  even  for  a  good  end,  is  un- 
worthy of  a  man  and  of  a  Christian."  Moreover,  he 
never  used  two  kinds  of  language,  one  when  a  per- 
son was  present,  another  when  he  was  absent ;  he 
always  wished  to  speak  of  things  freely,  as  they 
really  were,  and  took  it  for  granted  that  others 
would  do  the  same  to  him.  Nothing  offended  him 
so  much  as  a  want  of  simplicity  and  rectitude.  This 
spirit  of  candor  governed  every  act  of  his  adminis- 
tration ;  he  never  employed  artifice,  evasion,  or  sub- 
terfuge, but  did  every  thing  openly  and  above  board. 
To  one,  he  would  frankly  tell  the  difficulties  of  the  sit- 
uation to  which  he  sent  him  ;  to  another,  the  various 
complaints  made  against  him.  The  same  spirit  was 
observable  in  his  private  and  personal  conduct.  He 
never,  either  in  his  devotions  or  in  any  thing 
whatever,  put  on  the  semblance  of  a  sentiment  he 
did  not  feel.  **  I  appear  what  I  am,"  said  he, 
"  and  I  endeavour  to  be  what  I  ought  to  appear." 
He  was  one  day  congratulated  because  none  of  the 


HIS    HUMILITY.  311 

buildings  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  archiepiscopal 
palace  overlooked  his  garden.  "  It  is  of  little  con- 
sequence to  me,"  he  replied  ;  "  I  have  not  two  ways 
of  acting ;  one  when  men  see  me,  and  another  when 
they  do  not ;  I  endeavour  to  do  nothing  in  private 
that  I  might  not  do  in  public,  nor  even  to  think 
any  thing  which  I  might  not  speak  aloud  if  the  oc- 
casion were  fitting.'' 

No  one  can  be  surprised,  then,  that  he  was  so 
humble  and  so  modest.  Christian  humility  is  the 
candor  of  virtue ;  and  man  is  proud,  only  because 
he  will  not  acknowledge  to  himself  the  truth  of  his 
own  nothingness  and  misery ;  of  his  nothingness,  since 
all  he  has  is  the  gift  of  God,  which  may  be  taken 
from  him  at  any  moment ;  of  his  misery,  since  the 
many  propensities  to  evil,  against  which  he  is  con- 
stantly obliged  to  contend  in  order  to  be  virtuous, 
reveal  to  him  that  he  is  a  degraded  being,  who  can- 
not indulge  in  pride  without  cheating  himself.  Cardi- 
nal Cheverus  frankly  acknowledged  these  things,  and 
had  such  a  deep  sense  of  their  truth,  that  he  en- 
tertained the  most  modest  and  humble  opinion  of 
himself.  He  did  not  set  himself  above  any  person 
in  the  world  in  his  own  estimation ;  not  even  above 
the  poor,  and  men  of  the  lowest  condition,  "be- 
cause," said  he,  "  they  are  our  brothers,  our  fellow- 
beings,  and  perhaps  many  of  them  will  one  day  be 
exalted  above  us  in  the  presence  of  God  ; "  not 
even  above  the  greatest  sinners,  "  because,"  he  farther 


312  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL    CHEVEKUS. 

said,  "  who  knows  what  we  should  have  become, 
without  the  grace  of  God  ?  Perhaps  we  should  have 
done  worse  than  they."  He  experienced  these  feel- 
ings of  deep  humility,  especially,  whenever  he  visited 
the  institutions  for  the  insane  which  were  in  his  di- 
ocese. *•' Among  these  people,"  he  said,  "there  are 
men  who  once  had  a  great  deal  of  mind  and  much 
knowledge,  of  all  which  they  have  been  deprived  in  a 
moment ;  and  the  same  thing  may  happen  to  us,  at  a 
moment  when  we  least  expect  it.  When  we  think 
of  this,  how  can  we  be  proud  of  our  intellect  or  our 
learning? " 

With  such  humility,  it  is  easy  to  imagine  how  far 
removed  from  every  thing  like  pomp  and  pretension 
was  the  conduct  of  the  Cardinal.  No  shadow  of  os- 
tentation or  self-conceit  was  ever  discovered  in  him ; 
nor  the  least  appearance  of  pride  or  arrogance.  On 
the  contrary,  his  humility  was  so  profound,  his  mod- 
esty so  remarkable,  that  he  felt  the  need  of  being 
cheered  and  encouraged.  When  he  spoke  of  him- 
self, it  was  in  terms  of  abasement  and  humiliation. 
He  asked  prayers  for  his  poor  self,  the  poor  arch- 
bishop; and  the  humility  and  emotion  with  which 
he  said  these  things  proved  that  he  spoke  from  his 
very  heart.  When  he  presided  over  his  clergy,  as- 
sembled for  pastoral  retreats,  he  seemed  ashamed  to 
raise  his  voice  in  the  midst  of  his  priests ;  he  re- 
garded himself  as  the  least  of  all,  and,  borrowing 
the   celebrated  words   of  the   Bishop  of  Hippo,    he 


HIS  PATIENCE  UNDER  INJURIES.  313 

said,  "  I  know  that  Jerome  is  more  worthy  than 
Augustine;  I  do  not  deceive  myself;  my  brethren,  my 
beloved,  sustain  my  w^eakness  ;  I  have  need  of  your 
support,  to  save  me  from  becoming  discouraged." 
All  the  clergy  listened  in  tears  and  with  deep  emo- 
tion to  such  expressions  of  humility,  and  admired  the 
perfect  exempHfication  he  gave  of  the  direction  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  "Have  they  made  thee  ruler?  be 
not  lified  up ;  be  among  them  as  one  of  them : 
Rectorem  ie  posueruntj  noli  extolli;  esto  in  illis  quasi 
unus  ex  ipsis.^'  * 

Cardinal  Cheverus  did  yet  more ;  he  endured 
wrong  and  abuse,  as  if  it  were  a  slight  matter  to 
commit  any  offence  against  his  poor  self,  to  borrow 
his  own  expression.  The  common  decencies  of  so- 
ciety were  so  far  forgotten,  that  the  most  insulting 
letters,  both  as  respects  matter  and  form,  were  re- 
peatedly addressed  to  him.  But  they  never  offended 
or  discomposed  him,  and  he  never  even  thought  of 
complaining  of  them ;  and  when  he  again  met  the 
persons  who  had  written  them,  he  spoke  to  them 
with  touching  kindness,  and  seemed  to  have  for- 
gotten every  thing;  or  if  he  remembered  aught,  it 
was  out  of  regard  to  them.  "  Permit  me,"  he 
said  to  them,  "  to  give  you  the  advice  of  a  friend, 
for  your  own  sake  alone.  The  manner  in  which  you 
wrote  to  me  is  of  no  consequence  as  it  respects  my- 

*  Ecclesiasticus  xxxii.  1 


27 


314  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

self,  and  I  am  far  from  feeling  offended  at  it ;  but  if 
you  should  write  in  that  style  to  other  persons  in 
authority,  who  do  not  know  and  love  you  as  I  do, 
it  might  be  attended  with  unpleasant  consequences 
to  you;  you  might  make  yourself  enemies  who 
would  have  power  to  injure  you."  The  history  of 
his  life  has  exhibited  him  to  us,  on  many  other 
occasions,  calm  in  the  midst  of  censure,  and  patient 
under  reproach.  He  submitted  cheerfully  to  the  un- 
favorable judgments  of  men ;  and  often,  when  he  was 
unexpectedly  called  upon  to  go  into  the  pulpit 
without  any  time  for  reflection,  he  has  been  heard 
to  say  with  his  good-natured  playfulness,  "  I  run  the 
risk  of  having  it  said  that  the  poor  Archbishop  dotes  ; 
but  there  is  no  great  harm  in  that." 

One  other  circumstance  shows  still  more  clearly 
the  unaffected  humility  of  the  Cardinal.  During  the 
whole  course  of  his  life,  his  only  aim  was  to  do 
good  in  silence  and  privacy,  to  avoid  the  distinc- 
tion of  honors  and  the  noise  of  fame.  When  he  was 
studying  at  the  Sorbonne,  and  there  obtained  such 
splendid  success  as  might  have  awakened  in  his 
heart  hopes  of  a  brilliant  future,  his  sole  wish  was 
to  obtain  a  professor's  chair,  and,  in  that  situa- 
tion, to  pass  the  rest  of  his  days  in  obscurity,  but 
in  peace,  dividing  them  between  study  and  prayer. 
Such  was  the  retired  and  tranquil  life  which  the 
moderation  of  his  desires  and  the  modesty  of  his 
character  would   have   chosen.     When    he  left  Eng- 


HIS   FREEDOM  FROM  AMBITION.  315 

land  to  devote  himself  to  the  American  mission,  he 
regarded  the  plan  as  presenting  only  an  obscure, 
but  useful  and  laborious  career,  and  this  was  his 
sole  ambition.  If  he  was  raised  to  the  prelacy,  it 
was  without  his  knowledge,  and  in  spite  of  his  op- 
position. Obliged  to  consent  to  it,  he  was  not,  on 
that  account,  less  humble  or  less  modest  than  when  he 
was  a  simple  priest.  If,  after  being  recalled  to  France 
by  the  orders  of  the  King,  he  was  compelled  to  leave 
Montauban  and  become  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux,  it 
was  with  inexpressible  grief;  and  his  humility  was 
overwhelmed  by  it.  If,  in  short,  he  was  raised  to 
the  cardinalship,  he  did  every  thing  he  could  to  pre- 
vent his  promotion,  and  never  ceased  to  regret  it  to 
the  day  of  his  death.  Dignities  inspired  him  with 
a  dread,  which,  during  a  portion  of  his  life,  was 
one  of  his  severest  trials  ;  so  that  he  said  he  was 
sometimes  tempted  to  wish  for  a  little  spice  of  am- 
bition, to  sustain  his  courage  under  the  weight  of 
honors  which  overwhelmed  him.  "  Providence,"  said 
he,  "has  dealt  very  severely  with  me;  my  only  wish 
has  been  to  live  unknown  ;  I  have  ever  felt  averse 
to  honors;  but  my  inclinations  have  been  constant- 
ly thwarted."  And,  finally,  during  the  last  days  of 
his  life,  he  was  continually  repeating  to  his  friends, 
that  the  cardinalship  would  be  the  death  of  him  ;  that 
he  could  not  reconcile  himself  to  an  elevation  so  con- 
trary to  his  tastes;  and  he  mourned  it  deeply. 

These  feelings  of  humility  imparted  a  truly  apos- 


316  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

tolical    simplicity   to    his   manners    and    deportment. 
Whatever  was  most  simple,  whether   in  dress,  lodg- 
ing, or  food,  was  always  most  to  his  taste.     A  small 
table  and  a  chair  constituted  all  the  furniture  of  his 
private   apartment ;    a  cot   bedstead,  covered  with  a 
thin  mattress,  was  his  couch ;   he  chose  for    himself 
the  smallest,  most  retired,  and  least  pleasant   cham- 
ber, leaving  for  the  use  of  strangers  the    larger  and 
more  commodious  rooms  in  his  palace.     Being  asked 
one  day,  by  a  friend  who  was    going    over  the  pal- 
ace, whether  a   large    apartment   containing    an   ele- 
gant bed  was  his  sleeping  room  ;    "  No,"  he  replied, 
smiling,  "  this  is  the  chamber  and  bed  of  the  Arch- 
bishops of  Bordeaux ;  little  Cheverus  has  his  cham- 
ber   and   bed  elsewhere."     He    had    neither   horses 
nor    carriage,    and   appeared    in    the   street   on  foot, 
sometimes  even  in  spite  of  the  rain,  and  commonly 
without  any  attendant.     When  he  was  made  Cardi- 
nal, he  was  urged  to  purchase  a  carriage  ;  he  yield- 
ed to  these  entreaties,  but  would  have  neither  horses 
nor  equipage.     He  was  repeatedly  importuned  on  the 
Subject,  and  propriety  and  station  were  insisted  upon 
as  reasons  for   his  compliance  ;  still   he  refused.     At 
length,  one  day,  it  was  thought  he    was    persuaded  ; 
he  had  consented,  although  with    reluctance  ;  and,  as 
it  was  apprehended  that  longer  reflection  would   in- 
duce him  to  recall  a  consent  which  was  almost  forced 
from  him,  the  horses  and    the  equipage   were  to  be 
purchased  that  very  day.     But,  lo  !  a  crowd  of  men- 


HIS  DISREGARD   OF   FORM   AND    CEREMONY.  317 

dicants  appeared  at  the  gate  of  the  palace ;  at  this 
sight  his  heart  was  moved,  his  soul  filled  with  pity, 
and  he  could  not  endure  the  thought  of  spending  on 
ignoble  animals  the  money  needed  by  the  poor ;  and, 
immediately  distributing  abundant  alms  among  these 
unfortunate  people,  he  declared  that  he  would  never 
again  hear  a  word  about  purchasing  horses  or  equi- 
page. 

He  had  only  two  servants,  one  for  the  kitchen,  and 
another  to  attend  him    in   his  chamber  and  at  table. 
"This  man,"  said  he,  laughing,  "is  called  my  valet 
de  chambre ;  but  he   has  never  served  me  in  that  ca- 
pacity ;  he  has  never   even   seen  me,  except  when  I 
was   completely    dressed."      He  did    not    call   upon 
his   servants    except    when  it  was    unavoidable  ;  and 
his   principle  was    to    do    every  thing    he    could    for 
himself ;    "  It  is  the  way,"  said  he,  "  to  be   always 
served  to  one's    mind."     Hence,  he    was  not  above 
getting  wood  himself  to  put  upon  the  fire,  or  going 
to  the  kitchen  to  give  notice  of  the  number  of  guests 
invited,    or  to  ask    for   any   thing    that   he    wanted. 
When  any  one  wished  to  speak  with  him,  there  were 
no  hours  of  audience  to  be  observed,  no  lackeys  to  in- 
troduce, no  waiting  in  an  antechamber,  unless,  at  the 
moment,  he  was  engaged  with  some  other  person,  and 
then  he  put  an  end  to  the  conversation  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible, that    he  might    keep  no  one  waiting.     People 
went  to  his  house  as  children  go  to  that  of  a  father, 
at  all  hours  and  without  ceremony.     In  his  pastoral 
27* 


318  LIFE   OP   CARDINAL  CIIEVERUS. 

circuits,  it  made  no  difference  to  him  how  he  trav- 
elled ;  in  the  plainest  carriage,  by  steamboats,  on 
horseback,  or  even  in  a  public  coach ;  in  which  last, 
he  took  the  whole  carriage  for  himself  and  those  who 
accompanied  him.  During  the  time  he  passed  at 
Paris  in  attendance  on  the  Chamber  of  Peers,  he 
went  to  confess  in  the  chapel,  and  at  the  confessional 
of  the  grand-confessor,  among  the  rest  of  the  faithful ; 
so  utterly  averse  was  he  to  distinction,  so  sincerely 
attached  to  a  simple  and  humble  mode  of  life. 

Let  it  not  be  thought,  that  so  much  simplicity  di- 
minished, in  the  least,  the  consideration  and  reverence 
due  to  his  character.  On  the  contrary,  there  never 
was  a  person  more  honored  and  respected.  One  felt, 
in  approaching  him,  and  especially  in  listening  to  him, 
that  his  lowliness  was  the  fruit  of  virtue,  and  not  of 
meanness  of  spirit.  His  language,  although  simple, 
was  so  elevated  and  refined,  and  the  politeness  of  his 
manners,  his  exquisite  taste,  the  perfect  tact  with  which 
he  knew  how  to  do  and  say  to  every  one  just  what 
was  proper,  so  clearly  showed  him  to  be  a  superior 
man,  that  he  was  never  approached  but  with  a  sort 
of  timid  respect.  Even  his  most  intimate  and  confi- 
dential friends  experienced  this  feeling ;  and  his  man- 
ners, always  dignified  without  ceasing  to  be  simple, 
inspired  all  with  such  reverence  that  no  one  ever 
thought  of  being  familiar  with  him.  His  simplicity, 
by  exhibiting  him  exactly  as  he  was,  divested  of  all 
the  trappings  of  grandeur,  made  him  appear  only  the 


HIS    SIMPLICITY   THAT  OF  A    NOBLE    MIND.  319 

more  noble  and  great.  It  was  to  no  purpose  to  scru- 
tinize him  closely  ;  he  betrayed  none  of  those  defects 
which  so  often  dishonor  high  station,  and  render  it 
ridiculous  or  contemptible  ;  no  pretension,  no  littleness, 
no  effeminacy.  He  was  surrounded  by  no  court  of 
flattering  and  privileged  favorites.  He  never  spoke 
an  idle  word,  nor  indulged  in  any  of  those  low  pleas- 
antries with  which  one  sometimes  permits  himself  to 
enliven  conversation,  nor  did  he  ever  suffer  them  to 
be  uttered  in  his  presence.  He  said,  with  Saint  Paul ; 
"  Such  things  do  not  become  the  dignity  of  Chris- 
tian conversation  ;  and,  if  such  expressions  are  ex- 
cusable in  the  vulgar,  they  must  always  sully  the 
sanctity  of  a  priest's  lips."  Such  was  Cardinal  Chev- 
erus  ;  sufficient  in  himself  to  command  the  respect  and 
veneration  of  all ;  having  no  need  to  exalt  himself  in 
order  to  appear  great,  but  simply  to  show  himself 
such  as  he  was.  But,  independently  of  his  personal 
merit,  his  humility  and  his  religion  had  taught  him  the 
secret  of  securing  respect  and  consideration.  It  was 
greatly  to  respect  others.  He  treated  all  with  so 
much  deference,  that  they  felt  abashed  by  it,  and 
compelled,  as  it  were,  to  keep  pace  with  him  in 
attention ;  from  which  he  inferred  this  truth,  which 
experience  confirms,  that  nothing  so  constrains  men 
to  respect  you,  as  to  pay  great  respect  to  them. 

With  tastes  so  simple,  and  at  the  same  time  so 
noble,  it  may  easily  be  conceived,  that  the  Cardinal 
possessed  the  spirit  of  disinterestedness  in  large  raeas- 


320  LIFE  OP  CARDINAL  CflEVERUS. 

ure.  His  austere  virtue  had  few  desires  or  wants; 
his  noble  soul  was  raised  far  above  low  avarice.  The 
riches  of  the  world  were  as  nothing  to  him  ;  and  he 
always  regarded  whatever  wealth  he  possessed,  in 
his  various  situations  in  life,  as  a  deposit  confided  to 
him  by  Heaven,  to  be  distributed  among  the  poor, 
after  having  deducted  what  was  absolutely  necessary 
for  himself.  The  spirit  of  gain,  especially  in  a  priest, 
who  is  a  man  of  God,  and  who  has  placed  his  hopes 
in  heaven,  he  looked  upon  as  base  and  unworthy, 
and  was  shocked  at  it ;  so  that  he  never  hoarded 
wealth.  To  lay  up  nothing,  that  he  might  not  risk 
setting  his  heart  upon  his  treasures ;  and  to  owe  noth- 
ing, that  he  might  be  in  no  danger  of  injuring  his 
creditors,  were  principles  on  which  he  always  acted. 
Before  he  sailed  for  America,  he  had  impoverished 
himself  by  renouncing  the  whole  of  his  patrimony. 
In  America  he  lived  poor,  denying  himself,  and  de- 
priving himself  of  every  thing,  for  the  relief  of  those 
who  were  in  want.  To  such  an  extreme  did  he 
carry  this,  that  some  person  took  occasion  one  day 
to  represent  to  him,  that  he  would  not  leave  enough 
even  to  bury  him.  To  this  difficulty,  the  charitable 
prelate  replied  good-humoredly,  "  Ah !  as  to  that,  I 
feel  no  uneasiness ;  when  I  am  dead,  I  shall  become 
such  a  nuisance  to  those  about  me,  that  they  will 
be  forced  to  inter  me  gratuitously,  and  even  to  pay 
something,  if  need  be,  to  get  rid  of  my  poor  corpse." 
When  he  was  about  returning  to  France,  he  wished  to 


HIS  DISINTERESTEDNESS.  321 

leave  America  as  he  had  gone  to  it,  a  poor  man  ; 
giving  up  even  his  hbrary,  a  possession  to  which  men 
of  letters  attach  so  high  a  value,  and  from  which  they 
part  with  most  reluctance.  At  Bordeaux,  he  gave 
away  as  fast  as  he  received,  never  wishing  the  in- 
come of  one  year  to  meet  that  of  the  next.  He  said ; 
"  It  would  be  distrusting  Providence,  and  this  distrust 
would  be  more  culpable  in  nie  than  in  another,  since, 
in  the  various  vicissitudes  of  my  life,  Providence  has 
never  failed  me  ;  it  has  furnished  me  every  day  with 
all  that  was  necessary,  and  often  with  a  superfluity." 
For  this  reason,  he  would  not  hear  of  laying  up  any 
thing  for  the  future  ;  and  his  steward,  foreseeing  some 
difficulty  in  meeting  his  expenses,  was  obliged  to 
conceal  from  him  the  real  state  of  his  finances.  One 
day  he  received  a  legacy  of  twenty  thousand  francs, 
(four  thousand  dollars)  ;  an  hour  afterwards  he  had 
none  of  it  remaining ;  he  had  already  expended  it  all 
for  some  charitable  purpose.  But  his  disinterested- 
ness did  not  appear  merely  in  giving  away  all  that 
he  possessed  ;  it  was  displayed  still  more  remarkably 
in  the  manner  in  which  he  bore  the  losses  he  met 
with.  When  the  revolution  of  July  deprived  him  of 
twenty-two  thousand  livres  of  his  income,  it  did  not 
appear  to  trouble  him  for  a  single  instant.  To  those 
who  condoled  with  him,  he  replied  with  good-natured 
playfulness,  and  said  that  he  was  still  a  great  deal 
too  rich ;  that  in  reality  he  had  lost  nothing,  but  that 
the    poor,    who    alone    had    lost    these    twenty-two 


322  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

thousand  livres  a  year,  were  the  only  persons  to 
be  pitied.  When,  in  the  winter  of  1835,  he  was 
informed  that  the  frost  had  just  destroyed  all  his 
vines,  and  that  the  damage  would  amount  to  many 
thousand  francs,  he  answered,  with  his  accustomed 
cheerfulness;  ^'So  much  the  better;  it  is  far  better 
that  this  misfortune  should  have  fallen  upon  me,  than 
on  some  poor  proprietors  or  farmers,  who  depend 
upon  the  annual  profits  of  their  lands  for  support." 
And  not  a  shadow  of  concern  appeared  on  his  coun- 
tenance, or  in  any  thing  he  said. 

How,  indeed,  could  this  distinguished  Cardinal  have 
set  a  high  value  on  earthly  riches,  when  he  carried 
his  evangelical  indifference  to  them  so  far  as  to  sub- 
ject his  body  to  the  severest  mortifications  ?  He  felt 
a  sovereign  contempt  for  all  those  luxuries  which 
pamper  the  body  and  minister  to  its  indulgence,  in 
respect  to  lodging,  raiment,  food,  and  his  whole  mode 
of  life.  Extremely  self-denying,  he  studied  every 
winter  in  a  room  without  a  fire,  excepting  the  two 
last  years  of  his  life  ;  washed  his  feet,  head,  and 
hands  in  cold  water  every  morning,  even  in  the  se- 
verest weather;  and  cheerfully  braved  the  frosts  of 
winter  and  the  heats  of  summer,  in  his  pastoral  cir- 
cuits. He  imposed  upon  himself  few  penances  that 
would  be  likely  to  attract  notice ;  but  he  submitted 
willingly  and  without  ever  complaining,  without  even 
mentioning  them,  to  every  inconvenience,  constraint, 
or  privation,  which  he  was  called  to  bear.     Thus,  he 


HIS  SPIRIT   OP  SUBMISSION.  323 

endured  for  a  long  time  the  annoyance  of  insects* 
with  which  his  chamber  was  overrun,  without  ever 
speaking  of  them  to  any  one ;  and  this  severe 
penance,  to  which  he  had  submitted,  was  not  dis- 
covered until  the  chamber  was  inspected  and  clean- 
ed, while  he  was  absent  on  a  visitation  of  his 
diocese.  He  made  but  one  meal  a  day ;  taking 
nothing  ordinarily  before  noon,  and  hardly  any  thing 
at  night;  and  besides,  as  he  did  the  honors  of  his 
table  himself  at  dinner,  he  ate  but  little,  being  wholly 
taken  up  in  helping  his  guests,  and  seeing  that  no 
one  wanted  any  thing.  His  body  was  accustomed  to 
every  privation,  as  well  as  to  every  suffering  ;  so  that 
he  indulged  in  none  of  those  habits  of  which  so  many 
men  are  the  slaves,  and  of  which  they  must  continue 
the  slaves  when  they  have  once  contracted  them,  at 
the  risk  of  endangering  their  health.  In  order  to 
encourage  himself  and  others  to  be  patient  under 
suffering,  he  recommended  that  "we  should  always 
look  at  those  beneath  us,  and  see  the  many  unfor- 
tunate beings  to  whom  our  situation,"  he  said,  "  would 
be  a  happy  one ;  then,  instead  of  complaining,  we 
should  bless  Providence,  which,  notwithstanding  all 
it  appoints  us  to  suffer,  still  treats  us  much  more 
kindly  than  so  many  others."  Mortification  of  the 
body,  however,  seemed  to  him  a  small  thing,  and 
of  easy  practice;  the  mortification  he  valued  con- 
sisted in  exemplifying   in   one's   own    life    what    the 

*  Punaises. 


324  LIFE  OF   CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

Aposlle  says  of  the  Saviour ;  "  Christ  did  not  please 
himself:  Christus  non  sibi  placuit.^'*  '*  This,"  said 
he,  ^'  is  the  seal  of  true  virtue."  And  by  this  sign 
might  the  virtue  of  the  Cardinal  be  recognised;  he 
never  seemed  to  have  any  will  of  his  own,  with  re- 
gard to  any  thing  which  came  within  the  province  of 
charity,  kindness,  and  condescension.  Truly  the 
servant  of  all,  like  the  apostle  Paul,  he  could  re- 
fuse nothing  which  it  was  possible  for  him  to  grant, 
and  was  ever  ready  to  yield  to  every  wish  of  his  neigh- 
bour. He  often  felt  reluctance,  weariness,  and  aver- 
sion, and  foresaw,  in  a  compliance  with  the  demands 
made  upon  him,  much  interruption,  inconvenience, 
and  fatigue;  but  personal  considerations  had  no  weight 
with  him  ;  he  did  not  give  them  a  moment's  thought, 
and  went  wherever  his  presence  or  his  ministry  was 
desired.  Sometimes  these  demands  were  so  incessant 
and  importunate,  that  they  would  have  overwhelmed 
any  other  person  ;  but  the  Cardinal  always  preserved 
his  equanimity,  by  giving  up  entirely  his  own  will ; 
preaching  even  two  and  three  times  a  day,  rather 
than  give  a  refusal,  and  suffering  himself  to  be  in- 
terrupted in  his  room,  from  morning  till  night,  by 
continual  and  often  tedious  visits,  rather  than  yield 
to  the  natural  desire  of  living  in  retirement  and  quiet, 
at  least  for  a  few  moments.  When  he  was  asked 
what  hour  would  be  most  convenient  to  him  for  any 
ceremony,  he  always   replied,  "  the  hour   most  con- 

*  Rom.  XV.  3. 


HIS   TOLERANCE.  325 

venient  to  me,  is  that  which  best  suits  others.'' 
When  some  person  expressed  his  pity  for  him,  at 
the  close  of  a  day  in  which  he  had  not  had  a  mo- 
ment to  himself,  "  Providence  has  done  well,"  he 
cheerfully  replied ;  *'  it  has  appropriated  every  mo- 
ment ;  if  it  had  left  any  at  my  own  disposal,  perhaps 
I  should  have  misspent  them."  But  the  Cardinal  not 
only  sacrificed  his  own  will  in  this  manner  to  other 
men  ;  he  held  it  continually  submissive  to  every  event. 
Amid  the  various  difficulties  which  must  be  encountered 
in  life,  he  was  always  resigned,  meek,  and  uncomplain- 
ing;  and  when  he  saw  people  give  themselves  up  to 
anxiety,  vexation,  or  ill-humor,  he  said  mildly,  "  Why 
torment  and  fret  yourself  in  this  way  ?  Nothing  will 
happen  except  what  God  wills." 

The  Cardinal  was  as  indulgent,  liberal,  and  kind 
to  all  others,  as  he  was  severe  towards  himself.  He 
laid  it  down  as  a  principle,  that  we  must  not  expect 
to  live  with  angels  upon  earth,  but  with  men,  who 
all  have  their  defects,  and  that  religion  consists  in 
bearing  with  them  in  a  spirit  of  charity.  Thus, 
when  he  found  a  person  smitten  with  admiration  and 
affection  for  another  with  whom  he  was  destined  to 
live,  at  their  first  interview,  and  declaring  him  an  angel, 
"So  much  the  worse,"  he  said;  "  this  will  not  last; 
the  angel  will  show  himself  mortal,  and  admiration, 
thus  disappointed,  will  change  perhaps  into  enmity. 
Those  alone  live  happily  with  their  neighbours,  who 
calculate  beforehand  on  some  imperfections  to  be 
28 


326  l^IFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

borne  with."  Actuated  by  this  principle,  he  treated 
all  men,  without  distinction,  with  the  same  charity, 
lamented  their  faults  or  their  errors,  but  did  not  make 
these  an  excuse  for  unkindness  to  any  ;  and,  far  from 
looking  with  the  eye  of  hatred  or  ill-will  on  those 
whose  conduct,  faith,  or  opinions  were  erroneous,  he 
loved  them  tenderly,  since  they  did  not  cease  on 
that  account,  he  said,  to  be  his  brethren,  included  in 
the  comprehensive  law  of  charity.  He  even  loved 
them,  in  some  respects,  more  tenderly  than  others ; 
either  because  they  inspired  him  with  the  interest 
which  misfortune  always  awakens,  —  for  there  is  no 
greater  misfortune  in  the  world  than  to  do  or  to  think 
wrong,  —  or  because  "  the  only  means  of  reclaiming 
them,"  he  said,  "  is  to  show  them  that  we  dearly 
love  them ;  if  they  suspect  us  of  prejudice  or  enmity, 
we  close  the  avenue  of  repentance  against  them ;  the 
door  of  their  hearts  will  never  be  opened  to  us." 
Neither  could  he  comprehend  that  charity  which  is 
confined  to  the  circle  of  good  men,  or  to  those  who 
agree  with  us  in  opinion,  and  regards  all  others  only 
with  coldness  and  indifference,  if  not  with  hatred. 
"If  it  were  allowable,"  he  said,  "not  to  love  a  man 
because  he  is  mistaken,  or  does  not  see  things  as  we 
do,  charity  would  be  banished  from  the  earth ;  for 
men  will  cease  to  be  mistaken  only  in  heaven."  He 
resisted  with  energy  the  common  prejudice,  that  trans- 
forms into  wicked  and  malevolent  men  all  who  differ 
from  us  in  religion  or  pohtics.     He  said,  that  "only 


HIS   FIRMNESS.  327 

profound  ignorance  of  men  and  of  the  world  could 
entertain  such  a  prejudice.  For  my  own  part,"  he 
added,  "  I  have  met  with  good,  charitable,  obliging, 
and  amiable  men  in  all  religious  sects  and  in  every 
political  party."  And  he  earnestly  desired  that  men 
might  become  convinced  of  this  truth,  to  the  end  that 
difference  of  belief  or  opinion  might  cease  to  be  an 
occasion  of  hatred  among  them,  and  an  obstacle  to 
charity  and  a  union  of  heart. 

But,  although  the  Cardinal  was  thus  indulgent  to- 
wards individuals,  he  was  inflexibly  firm  in  regard  to 
doctrine,  and  whatever  duty  enjoins.  Tenacious  of 
the  rules  of  morality,  as  well  as  the  dogmas  of 
faith,  he  would  not  countenance  laxity  in  respect 
to  the  former,  any  more  than  errors  in  the  lat- 
ter. Protestants,  or  persons  whose  marriage  had  not 
received  the  sanction  of  the  church,  repeatedly  re- 
quested him  to  allow  them  to  stand  sponsors  to 
children  in  baptism.  He  invariably  refused,  but 
always,  however,  with  the  greatest  possible  courtesy, 
kindness,  and  amenity.  He  was  repeatedly  solicited 
to  grant  ecclesiastical  burial  to  persons  who  had  fall- 
en in  a  duel,  had  committed  suicide,  or  had  died 
refusing  the  ministrations  of  a  priest ;  and  such  solici- 
tations were  always  in  vain.^  One  day  a  parish 
deputation  came  to  complain  to  him  that  ecclesias- 
tical burial   had    been   refused  in  the  case  of  a  rich 

*  Rules  on  all  these  points  were  laid  down  by  the  Car- 
dinal, in  the  statutes  which  he  gave  his  clergy. 


328  LIFE  OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

man,  who  never  during  his  life  would  have  his  mar- 
riage sanctioned  by  the  church,  nor  be  attended  by 
a  priest  at  his  death;  and  the  speaker  allowed  him- 
self, on  this  occasion,  to  talk  about  the  intolerance 
of  the  curate.  "Intolerance!"  replied  the  Cardinal, 
with  energy  ;  "  the  intolerance  is  all  on  your  side. 
You  will  not  permit  a  priest  to  fulfil  his  duty,  and 
would  force  him  to  recognise  as  a  Catholic  a  man 
whose  life  and  death  have  been  anti-catholic." 
Ashamed  to  find  themselves  guilty  of  the  fault  which 
they  had  laid  to  the  charge  of  their  pastor,  these 
deputies  withdrew  in  silence,  without  saying  another 
word.  Thus  did  Cardinal  Cheverus,  although  so 
liberal  towards  men,  always  adhere  undeviatingly  to 
the  rules  of  duty  ;  and  religion  knows  no  other  tol- 
erance. Any  other,  for  which  the  world  would  give 
the  Cardinal  credit,  would  be  a  stain  on  his  mem- 
ory, a  misrepresentation  of  his  real  sentiments. 

This  enlightened  tolerance  had  its  source  in  an 
inexhaustible  fund  of  gentleness,  the  fruit  of  his  re- 
ligion and  piety.  He  never  manifested  those  varia- 
tions of  humor,  those  bursts  of  temper,  or  that  hasty 
pettishness  of  an  irritable,  discontented,  or  melancholy 
spirit,  in  which  so  many  indulge  ;  nor  employed  that 
severity  of  rebuke  which  troubles  or  provokes  rather 
than  corrects,  and  proclaims  the  man  excited  by  ill- 
humor,  rather  than  the  minister  inspired  by  charity. 
The  calmness  and  benignity  of  his  soul  imparted  a 
tranquil  and  touching  character   to   his   manners  and 


HIS  MILDNESS.  329 

whole  deportment,  and,  in  spite  of  the  troubles  of  ev- 
ery kind  which  disturbed  his  life,  his  gentleness  was 
ever  the  same,  he  always  spoke  kindly  and  courteously. 
If  he  had  any  thing  to  do  with  untractable  and  con- 
tentious spirits,  he  mildly  stated  what  he  had  to  say 
10  them,  then  allowed  them  to  talk  on,  answering  them 
only  by  silence,  or  making  some  pleasant  remark  cal- 
culated to  turn  the  conversation.  It  was  an  invari- 
able rule  with  him  to  have  no  altercation  or  dispute 
with  any  one  whatever.  "  To  dispute  or  contend," 
said  he,  "  requires  two,  and  I  will  be  no  one's  sec- 
ond in  such  a  cause.  Si  quis  videtur  contentiosus 
esse,nos  talem  consuetudinem  non  habemus."*  He  re- 
commended nothing  so  strongly  to  his  priests  as  this 
mildness  in  all  their  intercourse  with  their  fellow-men. 
*•  Fortiter  in  re,"  he  said  to  them,  "  suaviter  in  mo- 
do  :  Adhere  firmly  to  rules  and  principles  ;  but,  in 
their  application,  use  the  greatest  gentleness  and  cir- 
cumspection." And  he  cited  the  example  of  Saint 
John  the  Baptist,  who  had  to  deal  with  the  barbar- 
ous Herod,  the  most  ferocious  of  men  and  of  tyrants  ; 
yet  who,  by  his  gentleness,  succeeded  in  gaining  such 
an  influence  over  him,  that  he  induced  him  to  do 
much  good.  '^  Eo  audiio,^^  says  the  Gospel,  "  Herodes 
multafaciebatJ'f  By  this  attractive  gentleness  Cardi- 
nal Cheverus  won  the  hearts  of  all  men.  In  the 
course  of  forty  years,  he  had  occasion  to  treat  with 

*lCor.  xi.  16.  tMarkvi.20. 

28* 


330  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

many  different  civil  authorities  at  Boston,  Montauban, 
and  Bordeaux  ;  yet  no  one  was  ever  known  to  have 
resisted  the  winning  and  persuasive  power  of  his  mild 
and  dignified  address.  All  were  subdued  by  the  in- 
fluence of  his  gentle  spirit ;  all  considered  it  a  duty 
to  oblige  him,  a  crime  to  oppose  him,  a  happiness  to 
second  his  views  and  anticipate  his  desires.  Not  that 
he  ever  yielded  any  thing,  where  duty  required  him 
to  be  firm  ;  his  meekness  was  not  timidity.  '*  My 
friend,"  said  he  to  one  of  his  priests,  about  the  time 
of  the  revolution  of  July,  "  I  confessed  my  faith  in 
my  youth  at  the  peril  of  my  life ;  and,  in  spite  of  my 
age,  I  still  feel  the  same  blood  flowing  in  my  veins 
as  then ;  rather  than  be  false  to  any  duty,  I  could  still, 
by  the  grace  of  God,  submit  to  exile  or  death."  The 
Cardinal  knew  how  to  say,  when  it  was  necessary, 
*'•'  It  is  not  lawful,  JS'on  licet; "  *  but  he  said  it  without 
harshness,  and  with  such  noble  frankness,  that  his  re- 
fusal was  always  taken  in  good  part;  so  that  in  truth 
every  one  seemed  to  submit  to  his  authority.  "  Every- 
body humors  me,"  said  he,  "  I  know  not  why."  The 
modest  Cardinal  would  not  see  that  it  was  his  mild- 
ness, his  kindness,  which  had  gained  him  the  hearts 
and  given  him  power  over  all  men.  His  gentleness 
was  not  confined  to  man  alone ;  it  extend-ed  even 
to  the  brute  creation ;  he  could  not  bear  to  see  them 
ireated  cruelly,  or  beaten   unnecessarily  or  severely ; 

*  Matt.  xiv.  4. 


HIS    AVOIDANCE  OF  EVIL-SPEAKING.  331 

he  said  it  was  a  sign  of  a  bad  heart  and  savage  dis- 
position, and  a  characteristic  of  the  wicked  man  in  the 
judgment  of  the  Holy  Spirit  himself,  who  says  that 
"  The  just  regardeth  the  lives  of  his  beasts ;  but  the 
bowels  of  the  wicked  are  cruel :  Novit  Justus  jumen- 
torum  suorum  animas,  viscera  autem  impiorum  crude- 
lia.''*  Neither  did  he  disdain  occasionally  to  imi- 
tate, with  engaging  kindness,  the  Apostle  John,  caress- 
ing his  partridge  as  an  innocent  relaxation  ;  and  we 
shall  be  pardoned  for  relating  in  this  place,  that,  when 
he  was  in  America,  the  kind  and  gentle  manner,  in 
which  he  always  treated  the  horse  which  was  loaned 
him  to  visit  the  sick,  had  so  strongly  attached  the  ani- 
mal to  him,  that,  as  far  as  he  could  see  him,  he  would 
run  to  meet  him  ;  and,  although  rather  unmanageable 
with  others,  was,  under  his  hands,  docile  as  a  lamb, 
obeying  his  slightest  signal. 

To  such  perfect  gentleness  the  Cardinal  added 
the  greatest  charity.  No  detraction  was  ever  heard  to 
pass  his  lips ;  and  if  any  persons  so  far  forgot  themselves 
as  to  speak  evil  of  their  neighbour  in  his  presence, 
he  adroitly  changed  the  conversation ;  or,  if  he  could 
do  it,  spoke  openly  in  defence  of  the  absent  person, 
and  told  all  the  good  he  knew  of  him.  Least  of  all 
could  he  bear  that  evil  should  be  spoken  of  those 
whom  death  had  removed  from  the  world.  "  De 
mortuis  nisi  bonum :  Let  nothing  but  good  be  spoken 

*  Prov.  xii.  10. 


332  LIFE  OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

of  the  dead,"  was  a  maxim  which  he  loved  to  call  to 
mind  J  and  from  which  he  never  departed.  Far  from 
speaking  evil  of  his  fellow-men,  he  even  feared  to 
think  ill  of  them  ;  and  when  the  duties  of  his  situation 
obliged  him  to  listen  to  unfavorable  reports  of  any  one, 
he  suspended  his  judgment  for  a  long  time,  and  very 
reluctantly  made  up  his  mind  to  admit  their  truth,  and 
nothing  short  of  the  clearest  proof  could  destroy  his 
favorable  opinion  of  the  individual  in  question  ;  for  his 
charitable  good-will  always  induced  him  to  suppose 
that  others  possessed  every  virtue  which  he  loved  and 
cherished  in  his  own  heart.  In  the  bons-mots  and 
sportive  sallies  with  which  he  enlivened  his  conversa- 
tion, he  never  suffered  a  word  to  escape  him  which 
could  hurt  the  feelings  of  any,  wound  the  sensitive, 
or  provoke  the  irritable.  He  never  gave  others,  rarely 
even  his  own  servants,  any  trouble  which  he  could 
spare  them.  He  was  fearful  of  giving  the  least  of- 
fence to  his  fellow-men,  and  gladly  embraced  every 
opportunity  of  doing  a  kindness  or  rendering  a  service. 
"  What  a  happiness,"  said  he,  "  to  be  the  means  of 
bestowing  upon  our  brethren  a  moment's  enjoyment ! 
What  a  delight  to  have  the  power  of  making  a  single 
heart  happy  ! "  Amiable,  tender,  and  charitable  to- 
wards all,  the  Cardinal  was  especially  so  to  those  who 
lived  with  him,  or  who  served  him  ;  to  strangers,  to 
the  afflicted,  the  sick,  the  aged,  the  poor,  and,  in  gen- 
eral, to  all  the  children  of  infirmity  or  sufiering. 


HIS   MANNERS   IN   FAMILIAR    INTERCOURSE.  333 

Nothing  can  be  imagined  more  delightful  and  in- 
teresting, more  simple  and  dignified,  than  the  character 
of  the  Cardinal's  intimate  and  familiar  intercourse.  To 
render  all  about  him  happy  was  his  constant  aim  and 
care ;  and  he  has  been  seen  to  shed  tears  of  joy  and 
tenderness,  when  his  efforts  were  successful.  For 
this  reason  he  wished  his  guests  to  consider  tiiemselves 
perfectly  at  home,  and  frankly  ask  for  whatever  they 
desired ;  and  was  eager  to  anticipate  their  requests 
when  he  could  foresee  their  wishes.  Above  all,  as 
nothing  interferes  more  with  the  happiness  of  life  than 
restraint  and  subjection,  he  wished  every  one  in  his 
house  to  feel  perfectly  at  liberty,  free  from  the  tram- 
mels of  ceremony  and  etiquette,  and  from  all  con- 
straint ;  but  on  the  condition,  however,  of  not  putting 
any  constraint  upon  others.  His  maxim  was,  Be 
perfectly  at  ease,  and  leave  others  equally  so.  For 
this  reason  he  did  not  require  any  one  to  remain  in  his 
company,  because,  with  prayer  and  study,  he  never 
felt  the  want  of  a  companion  ;  but,  although  he  did 
not  exact  this,  his  society  was  sought  as  the  most  pre- 
cious advantage  of  living  in  the  same  house  with 
so  agreeable  a  prelate.  Every  day,  after  the  even- 
ing repast,  his  friends  had  the  pleasure  of  enjoying 
it  at  leisure.  At  these  hours  they  formed  a  sort  of 
family  party,  rendered  truly  delightful  by  the  gen- 
tleness, simplicity,  the  entire  freedom,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  the  dignity  and  elevation  of  sentiment, 
which  prevailed.     Here,  especially,  the  Cardinal  ap- 


334  LIFE    OF   CARDL^AL   CHEVERUS. 

peared  as  he  was,  good  and  amiable,  simple  and 
great ;  here,  also,  he  expressed  openly  the  utter  con- 
tempt in  which  he  held  the  honors  and  dignities, 
the  riches  and  pleasures,  of  the  world  ;  and  here  he 
gracefully  related  anecdotes  of  his  own  life  ;  or,  with 
nice  discrimination,  gave  his  opinion  of  past  events,  or 
the  occurrences  of  the  day. 

But  the  happiness  of  living  with  the  Cardinal  was 
not  confined  to  those  who  met  around  his  board  ;  he 
wished  his  servants  also  to  be  happy  in  serving  him. 
"  Their  condition,"  said  he,  "  is  in  itself  humiliating, 
and  sometimes  painful ;  it  is  the  duty  of  masters  to 
ameliorate  it  as  much  as  possible."  And  never  had 
servants  a  better  master.  He  always  spoke  to  thera 
with  kindness,  never  permitting  a  harsh  word  to  es- 
cape him,  or  assuming  the  least  appearance  of  pride 
or  superiority.  If  they  did  wrong,  he  did  not  notice 
it ;  or,  if  the  case  deserved  a  reprimand,  he  gave  it 
with  the  kindness  of  a  father,  rather  than  the  severity 
of  a  master.  To  say  nothing  of  their  high  wages,  to 
which  he  often  added  special  presents,  they  lived  as 
well  as  he  did  himself,  and  were  free  to  use  the  wine 
with  which  his  own  table  was  supplied.  If  they  fell 
sick,  he  went  to  see  them,  sent  for  a  physician,  and 
had  them  taken  care  of  as  if  they  were  his  chil- 
dren ;  if  he  perceived  that  they  desired  any  thing, 
which  timidity  prevented  their  asking  of  him,  he 
offered  it  to  them  himself;  *' because,"  said  he,  "  in 


HIS  TREATMENT  OF  STRANGERS.         335 

the  house  of  an  archbishop,  everybody  ought  to  be 
happy  and  contented." 

The  same  kindness,  which  the  Cardinal  manifested 
to  those  who  lived  with  him,  he  extended  to  others. 
Not  only  all  the  priests  of  his  diocese,  but  all  other 
priests,  and  all  laymen  with  whom  he  was  acquainted 
or  who  were  recommended  to  him,  of  whatever  coun- 
try they  might  be,  were  at  their  first  visit  invited  to  his 
table,  not  once  only,  but  for  the  whole  time  they 
should  remain  at  Bordeaux.  And  if  it  happened  that 
they  came  often,  and  he  learned  that  it  was  as  much 
on  account  of  their  straitened  circumstances  as  to  en- 
joy the  honor  of  his  society,  he  rejoiced  in  the  oppor- 
tunity thus  afforded  him,  of  delicately  bestowing  relief, 
without  mortification  to  their  feelings.  He  frequently 
even  invited  them  to  stay  at  the  palace,  and  this  kind 
of  hospitality  was  extended  to  great  numbers,  many 
of  whom  abused  it  without  his  making  any  complaint. 
He  excused  the  strangest  breaches  of  propriety,  for- 
bidding any  one  to  mention  them  to  those  who  had 
been  guilty  of  them,  and  desired  the  wishes  of  all  to 
be  promptly  attended  to.  Every  year,  during  Lent, 
he  lodged  at  his  palace  those  who  preached  at  the 
cathedral,  and  had  whatever  they  wished  provided  for 
their  meals,  and  at  whatever  hour  they  pleased.  It 
was  his  delight  thus  to  share  his  table  and  his  palace. 
"  Of  all  the  virtues  which  Saint  Paul  requires  in  a 
bishop,"  said  he,  "I  have  but  one,  that  of  being  hos- 


336  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

pitable  ;  Oportet  episcopum  esse  hospitalem ;*'  I  ought 
at  least  to  practise  that,  whenever  1  can  find  oppor- 
tunity." 

If  he  was  thus  kind  towards  strangers,  who  had  no 
particular  claim  upon  his  charity,  how  much  more  so 
must  he  have  been  to  the  afflicted,  who,  from  the  mere 
circumstance  of  their  misfortunes,  were  so  hkely  to  in- 
terest a  lender  and  susceptible  heart  like  his  !  He 
was  not  one  of  those  men  who  look  with  selfish  insen- 
sibility on  the  misfortunes  or  afflictions  of  others  ;  his 
tenderness  felt  for  every  calamity,  and  his  compassion 
interested  him  in  the  concerns  of  his  fellow-men  as  if 
they  were  his  own,  to  such  a  degree,  that  he  was  as 
much  affected  by  the  sorrows  and  distresses  of  others, 
as  if  he  had  experienced  th^m  himself;  and  truly 
might  he  say  with  the  apostle:  "  Who  is  weak,  and  I 
am  not  weak  ?  Q^uis  infirmatur  et  ego  non  in- 
Jirmor  1 "  To  be  in  affliction  was  a  sure  title  to  his 
tenderest  interest,  his  most  delicate  attentions,  his  most 
assiduous  kindness.  His  ear  was  ever  ready  to  listen 
to  the  tale  of  grief,  and  his  heart  to  sympathize  in 
it ;  such  relations  often  moved  him  to  tears,  and  some- 
times even  affected  him  so  deeply  that  he  could 
hardly  taste  of  food  ;  and  he  left  no  means  untried  to 
administer  comfort  to  the  spirit  smitten  by  the  stroke 
of  adversity.  This  tender  and  compassionate  father 
regarded  whatever  alleviation  of  the  misery  of  others 

*  Tit.  i.  7,  8. 


HIS  KINDNESS   TO  THE    AFFLICTED.  337 

he  could  effect,  as  so  much  added  to  the  happiness  of 
his  own  life.  People  were  sometimes  surprised  to 
see  those,  who  had  previously  had  no  connexion  with 
him,  admitted  all  at  once  to  his  tenderest  intimacy ; 
they  could  not  imagine  the  reason,  and  inquired  how 
it  was  ;  and  it  always  appeared,  upon  investigation, 
that  some  calamity  had  befallen  these  persons;  they 
had  lost  a  beloved  child,  a  wife,  or  a  father ;  and  the 
good  Cardinal  had  offered  them,  as  some  consolation, 
next  to  God  and  the  cross,  his  affectionate  heart,  his 
intimacy,  and  a  welcome  to  his  table  and  his  palace. 
Such  was  the  origin  of  all  the  particular  intimacies 
which  the  Cardinal  formed  at  Bordeaux  ;  and  such 
was  the  reason  of  his  frequent  intercourse  with  certain 
families.  Seeing  them  in  affliction,  he  listened  every 
day,  if  necessary,  to  the  story  of  their  sorrows,  or  went 
himself  daily  to  visit  them,  as  long  as  he  thought  it  of 
service  to  them ;  or,  at  least,  persuaded  the  afflicted 
individual  to  come  and  unburden  his  heart  to  him, 
whenever  its  griefs  were  too  heavy  to  be  borne.  He 
often  had  only  time  to  say  a  single  word ;  but  this 
word,  spoken  kindly,  and  proceeding  from  the  heart, 
was  as  balm  to  the  wound.  The  kind  pastor  even 
seemed  to  reproach  himself  for  all  the  troubles  which 
took  place  in  his  diocese,  merely  because  he  might 
have  prevented  them,  had  he  known  of  them.  Thus, 
when,  on  his  return  from  a  pastoral  visitation,  at  the 
close  of  July,  1830,  he  learned  the  shameful  manner 
in  which  the  Viscount  de  Curzay,  prefect  of  Bordeaux, 
29 


338  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

had  been  treated,  —  a  seditious  populace,  blinded  by 
rage,  having  repaired  to  his  house,  inflicted  upon  him 
blows  and  insults,  and  pursued  him  with  drawn  swords, 
—  he  seemed  deeply  afllicted  at  the  news.  "Ah !  why 
was  not  I  here  1 "  he  exclaimed ;  "  I  would  have  flown 
to  the  spot,  and  protected  the  prefect  with  my  own 
body  ;  I  would  have  borne  him  away  in  my  arms,  had 
it  been  necessary  ;  and  I  am  confident  that  the  people 
of  Bordeaux,  even  in  the  height  of  their  madness, 
would  have  respected  me."  In  short,  the  mere 
thought  of  the  woes  of  his  fellow-creatures  was  dis- 
tressing to  his  heart;  he  could  not  think,  without 
pain,  of  the  many  unhappy  sufferers  on  the  face  of 
the  earth,  whom  revolutions  or  civil  wars  overwhelm 
with  countless  evils.  Still  less  could  he  think,  with- 
out anguish,  on  the  dreadful  sufferings  of  the  con- 
demned in  another  hfe ;  and,  being  once  requested  to 
preach  upon  future  punishment,  he  was  so  dismayed  at 
the  thought  of  his  wretched  fellow-creatures,  that  sobs 
choked  his  voice,  he  was  unable  to  proceed,  and,  at  the 
expiration  of  five  minutes,  left  the  pulpit  in  tears. 

One  who  felt  the  afflictions  and  misfortunes  of  others 
so  keenly,  could  not  but  possess  a  heart  overflowing 
with  charity  towards  his  sick  brethren.  He  did  not 
confine  himself  to  visiting  them  often,  in  hospitals  and 
private  houses,  with  an  interest  and  kindness  which 
remind  us  of  Jesus  Christ,  at  the  bed-side  of  Saint 
Peter's  wife's  mother.  He  took  every  opportunity  to 
commend    the  care  of  the  sick,  as  one  of  the    most 


HIS  KINDNESS   TO  THE   SICK.  339 

excellent  acts  of  Christian  charity,  and  one  of  the 
most  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God.  He  used  to  say- 
that  the  richest  grace  was  bestowed  upon  it ;  and, 
that  he  might  have  part  himself  in  this  grace,  he 
always,  both  in  America  and  France,  kept  in  his 
house  an  invalid  domestic,  on  whom  he  lavished 
all  the  attentions  which  his  condition  demanded, 
and  of  whom  he  required  no  services  but  such  as 
he  chose  to  render.  "  This,"  said  he,  "  draws  down 
the  blessings  of  God  upon  a  house."  At  Bordeaux 
he  did  still  more,  he  always  had  with  him  a  sick  or 
infirm  priest,  and  sometimes  even  two ;  and,  in  order 
that  they  might  continue  to  receive  all  the  little 
attentions  to  which  they  had  been  accustomed,  and 
that  every  thing  might  go  on  in  the  way  to  which 
they  were  used,  he  at  the  same  time,  with  a  thought- 
ful benevolence  well  worthy  of  notice,  took  the  per- 
son who  had  been  in  the  habit  of  attending  them, 
and  would  not  allow  any  occupation  to  be  assigned 
him,  that  could  interfere  with  this  service. 

The  infirmities  of  old  age  excited  the  particular 
interest  of  the  Cardinal.  He  loved  to  give  his  arm 
to  old  men  to  sustain  their  tottering  steps,  to  place 
them  beside  him  at  table,  to  attend  to  their  minutest 
wants,  to  be  able  to  do  or  say  something  which 
should  give  them  pleasure  ;  following,  in  this,  the  di- 
rection of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  commands  respect 
to  the  hoary  head  ;  Coram  cano  capite  consurge ;  *  but 

*  Lev.  xix.  32. 


340  LIFE   OF  CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

listening,  at  the  same  time,  to  his  own  goodness  of 
heart,  which  delighted,  according  to  his  own  expres- 
sion, to  gladden  the  last  moments  of  an  existence 
which  was  drawing  to  a  close,  and  to  gild  the  horizon 
of  life  for  those  who  were  soon  to  leave  it.  "  Alas  1 " 
said  he,  "  they  have  but  a  few  more  days  to  live, 
let  us  procure  them  as  much  innocent  enjoyment  as 
possible."  The  Cardinal  regarded  this  respect  for 
the  aged,  and  these  delicate  endeavours  to  oblige 
them,  as  a  sure  indication  of  genuine  virtue;  and 
when  he  learned  that  any  young  priests,  who  were 
associated  with  one  of  the  elders  of  the  sanctuary,  paid 
him  all  possible  deference,  and  concealed  from  him, 
in  a  manner,  the  knowledge  of  his  failing  strength 
and  faculties,  by  making  themselves  of  as  little  im- 
portance as  possible,  by  consulting  him  upon  every 
occasion,  and,  with  amiable  address,  making  him  be- 
lieve that  he  still  did  all  the  duties  of  the  parish,  that 
he  was  the  head  to  direct,  and  they  were  only  the 
bands  to  execute  ;  he  wished  for  no  further  tokens 
of  their  excellence.  "  I  know  these  priests,"  said 
he,  "  by  this  single  trait ;  their  virtue  has  the  true 
stamp ; "  and,  from  that  time,  he  gave  them  his 
highest  esteem,  his  entire  confidence,  which  he  gladly 
availed  himself  of  every  opportunity  to  manifest  in  the 
most  striking  manner. 

After  what  we  have  thus  far  seen,  the  charity  of  Car- 
dinal Cheverus  to  the  poor  may  be  more  easily  im- 
agined   than   described.     He   always  'received   thera 


HIS  KINDNESS   TO  THE  POOR.  341 

with    kindness,  and    treated    them  with    esteem   and 
respect ;  regarding  them  as  brethren  in  Jesus  Christ, 
children  of  God,  and  joint  heirs  of  heaven.      That 
he  might    aid    them,  he    denied    himself;  hardly  al- 
lowing himself  the  necessaries  of  hfe.     He  never  in- 
dulged in  any  expense  to  gratify  mere  taste  or  fancy ; 
he    never   purchased    for    himself    any  thing   costly; 
and,  for  many  years,  he  even  wore,  on  week  days,  a 
cassock  so  old  and  threadbare,  that  with  the  worldly- 
minded   it  would   hardly  pass  for  decent ;    so  fearful 
was  he  of  encroaching  upon  the  funds  of  the  poor. 
He  even  seemed  to  grudge    himself   food,  when   he 
thought  of  their  wants  ;    and  once,  when  a  magnifi- 
cent   breakfast    had  been    prepared    for  him,  at   the 
house  of  some    friends  with  whom    he  was  on  suffi- 
ciently intimate  terms  to  take  such  a  liberty,  he  sent 
it  all  to  the  poor,  not  even    tasting  it   himself.     On 
another  occasion,  when  he  was    going  to  dine  alone 
at  his  palace    in   Bordeaux,   having    learned    that    a 
family  was  very  destitute,   he   sent  them    the  dinner 
which  had  been  prepared  for  him,  reserving  for  him- 
self no  more  than  was  absolutely  necessary.    Wednes- 
day and  Friday  of  each  week,  he    made  a    general 
distribution   of  alms  ;    and,  that  this    might  be  done 
with  greater  discrimination,  and  what  was  bestowed  be 
proportioned  to  the  necessities  of  all,  one  of  his  priests 
was  commissioned  to  obtain,  from  the  curate  of  each 
parish,  exact  information   respecting  the  condition  of 
every  individual.     Besides  these  regular  charities,  he 
29* 


342  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

gave  to  all  the  poor  who  came  in  his  way,  and  es- 
pecially to  that  class  of  the  indigent  which  is  the 
more  to  be  pitied  because  its  misery  is  unknown, 
the  modest  poor,  who  came  to  open  their  hearts  to 
him,  as  to  a  tender  father,  and  confide  to  him  their 
troubles  and  distress.  Almost  every  day,  among  the 
numerous  visits  he  received,  were  many  of  this  de- 
scription ;  and  the  demand  upon  his  charity  from  this 
source  was  the  greater,  since  the  rank  and  position  of 
these  persons  was  such  as  to  make  the  donor  ashamed 
to  offer,  and  the  petitioner  to  accept,  a  small  sum.  He 
contributed  to  every  charitable  object  of  individuals, 
and  to  every  benevolent  design  of  the  civil  administra- 
tion ;  and,  in  both  these  cases,  he  always  gave  consid- 
erable sums.  Sometimes  he  went  so  far  as  to  pay,  from 
his  own  funds,  notes  which  the  signers  could  not  honor, 
and  thus  saved  them  from  the  disgrace  of  a  prosecution. 
In  short,  he  gave  all  that  he  had,  and  still  seemed 
to  reproach  himself  for  not  giving  enough ;  "  Be- 
cause," said  he,  "  when  the  poor  look  at  this  beau- 
tiful palace,  they  imagine  that  a  man  living  in  so  fine 
a  house  must  have  the  means  of  giving  them  more 
than  I  do."  But  he  had  the  consolation  of  finding 
still  something  to  give,  when  his  own  resources  were 
exhausted  ;  for  the  rich  sometimes  liked  to  make  him 
the  depositary  and  distributer  of  their  alms,  persuad- 
ed that  this  was  the  sweetest  pleasure  they  could 
procure  for  him ;  and  that,  moreover,  by  passing 
through  so  pure  a  channel,  and  being  distributed  by 


HIS  ZEAL  FOR  THE  SALVATION  OF   SOULS.  343 

SO  judicious  a  hand,  their  alms  would  be  more  ac- 
ceptable to  God,  and  more  justly  apportioned  to  those 
who  were  most  in  need. 

Yet  with  whatever  zeal  Cardinal  Cheverus  endeav- 
oured to  relieve  the  suffering   body,  the  salvation  of 
souls  exposed  to  eternal  destruction  awakened  a  still 
deeper   solicitude.     From    his   youth,   his   heart  had 
burned  with  that   sacred   flame  which  impels  a  man 
to  devote    his  whole   being,  that   he    may  guide    his 
fellow-men  to  happiness  "  in  a  better  country."     This 
it  was,  which,  among  the  various  pursuits  that  soci- 
ety presented    to   his   choice,  induced   him  to  select 
the  ecclesiastical  profession  ;  and  this  same  sentiment 
was,  through  the  Whole  course  of  his  life,  the  mov- 
ing principle  of  his  soul,  the  centre  of  all  his  thoughts, 
and  the  constant  object  of  his  efforts.     From  this  he 
derived  that   apostolical   spirit  which    animated  him  ; 
whether,  when  at  Mayenne,  in  the  critical  times  that 
preceded  the  revolution,  he  exercised  his  ministry  in 
a  manner   advantageous   to   religion  ;   or  when,  in    a 
land  of  exile,  he  preferred  the  difficult  and  laborious 
missions  of  America  to  the  delights  of  a  life  of  ease 
and  luxury  in  England ;  or  when,  during  twenty-seven 
years  passed  in  Boston,  he  constrained  Protestants  as 
well  as  Catholics  to  admire    his  unwearied    devoted- 
ness    and    intrepid    courage.      Consecrating    himself 
wholly  to  the  salvation  of  his  brethren,  he  lived  only 
for  them,  and  forgot  himself,  that  he  might  think  of 
them  alone.     Distance,  however  great,  did  not  arrest 


344  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

his  zeal ;  he  would  travel  twenty  or  thirty  leagues,  and 
sometimes  more,  to  administer  the  sacraments  to  a 
sick  person,  to  reconcile  a  divided  family,  or  instruct 
an  ignorant  one.  The  most  uncomfortable  seasons 
of  the  year,  either  on  account  of  the  severity  of  the 
cold  or  the  heat  of  the  sun,  did  not  discourage  his 
benevolence.  He  traversed  the  snows  and  ice  of 
winter,  and  exposed  himself  to  the  oppressive  heats 
of  summer,  for  any  of  his  beloved  flock  to  whom  his 
ministrations  could  be  necessary  or  beneficial.  Dur- 
ing that  part  of  the  year  which  he  passed  among  the 
Indians,  he  was  obliged  to  endure  privations  of  which 
we  with  our  civiUzed  habits  cannot  conceive ;  but  all 
that  he  suffered  was  in  order  to  save  souls,  and  this 
consideration  rendered  every  thing  tolerable  and  even 
pleasant.  A  sinner  whom  he  had  reconciled  to  God, 
a  dying  man  whom  he  had  prepared  to  die  happily,  an 
ignorant  one  whom  he  had  instructed,  a  man  dan- 
gerous  to  society  whom  he  had  transformed  into  a 
good  man,  made  him  forget  all  his  fatigues.  Having 
returned  to  France,  he  continued  to  display  a  zeal 
equal  to  every  occasion.  To  preach  wherever  he 
was  invited,  at  Paris  and  Mayenne,  as  well  as  at 
Montauban  and  Bordeaux  ;  to  travel  over  every  par- 
ish of  his  diocese,  confirming  and  preaching  to  the 
faithful ;  to  be  all  things  to  all  men,  ever  ready  to 
attend  to  those  who  requested  his  advice,  and,  at- 
tracted by  his  goodness,  desired  to  open  to  him  their 


PRINCIPLES  OF  HIS   EPISCOPAL  ADMINISTRATION.     345 

hearts;  such  was  his  whole  hfe  ;  —  that  is  to  say,  one 
continual  exercise  of  zeal. 

In  the  various  acts  of  his  episcopal  administration, 
he  was  always  guided  by  the  purest  zeal ;  neither 
patronage  nor  favor  had  any  share  in  them  ;  so  that 
he  could  say,  near  the  close  of  his  life,  ''  I  have  no 
fear  that  God  will  reproach  me  for  having  made  a 
single  nomination  from  worldly  motives  ;  I  have  never 
sought  any  thing  but  the  greatest  good  of  the  church." 
Above  all,  he  would  never  consent  that  women,  what- 
ever might  be  their  merit,  their  birth,  and  their  rep- 
utation, should  take  upon  themselves  to  recommend 
or  patronize  his  curates  and  priests  ;  he  rejected  with 
unusual  severity  every  proposal  of  this  kind,  de- 
clared that  it  gave  him  offence,  and  considered  it  a 
reason  for  excluding  the  priest  so  recommended,  rather 
than  a  claim  to  his  favor.  Before  nominating  to  any 
place,  at  least  any  situation  of  importance,  he  prayed, 
took  counsel,  and  deliberated,  and  then  made  the 
appointment  himself,  uninfluenced  by  any  other  per- 
son. "  I  shall  answer  for  it  to  God,"  said  he  ;  I  ought 
not,  therefore,  to  throw  the  responsibility  of  it  upon 
any  one  else."  If  in  these  nominations  he  thought 
it  right  to  pay  particular  regard  to  the  preferences 
and  dislikes  of  his  priests,  his  conduct  in  this  respect 
was  not  influenced  by  any  worldly  considerations;  he 
acted  thus  only  with  a  view  to  the  greatest  good ; 
thoroughly  convinced,  as  he  often  said,  that  what  is 
done  with  reluctance  is  never  done  well,  and  that  a 


346  LIFE  OP   CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

feeling  of  dissatisfaction  chills  zeal,  and  paralyzes  the 
discharge  of  duly. 

But  the  preaching  of  Cardinal  Cheverus  was  un- 
doubtedly the  most  remarkable  result  of  the  zeal 
which  animated  him.  During  the  twenty-seven  years 
which  he  passed  in  America,  he  preached  constantly 
on  Sundays  and  holydays ;  and  in  France  he  neglect- 
ed no  opportunity  of  declaring  the  word  of  truth ;  yet 
he  seldom  did  this  without  fatigue.  His  exalted  views 
of  the  sublime  office  of  preaching  the  gospel,  and  his 
respect  for  the  word  of  God,  would  not  suffer  him  to  go 
into  the  pulpit  without  preparation,  at  least  as  far  as 
it  was  in  his  power  to  make  any  ;  and  this  preparation 
always  cost  him  some  effort.  He  usually  wrote  out 
the  plan  of  his  discourse,  and  noted  down  the  leading 
thoughts,  and,  after  having  made  this  outline,  applied 
his  mind  intently,  till  the  very  moment  of  delivery,  to 
the  consideration  of  the  subject  on  which  he  was  to 
speak,  and  the  production  of  those  deeply  interesting 
sermons,  which  were  always  hstened  to  with  so  much 
pleasure.  "  People  are  very  much  mistaken  in  re- 
gard to  me,"  he  said  to  his  friends ;  *'  they  imagine 
that  it  is  no  trouble  to  me  to  preach,  whereas  noth- 
ing in  the  world  is  more  difficult  for  me.  I  never 
enter  the  pulpit  without  experiencing  beforehand  an 
uneasy  sensation  which  disturbs  my  head,  and,  at  the 
time,  a  universal  perturbation  that  exhausts  me." 
This  account  would  be  incredible,  unless  we  had  it 
from  the  lips  of  the  Cardinal  himself  j  for  he  seemed 


CHARACTER  OF  HIS  SERMONS.  347 

to  have  every  reason  for  feeling  in  the  pulpit  the 
most  fearless  confidence.  Well  read  in  sacred  and 
profane  antiquity,  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  hu- 
man heart,  with  society  and  manners,  he  had,  besides, 
been  long  accustomed  to  the  exercises  of  the  pulpit, 
and  was  gifted  with  animated  and  persuasive  tones 
which  gave  power  and  weight  to  his  words,  with  a 
clear  and  sonorous  voice,  a  natural  and  dignified  ac- 
tion, an  uncommon  memory,  a  correct  and  discrim- 
inating judgment,  a  brilliant  and  graceful  imagination, 
a  pure  taste,  and  a  nice  sense  of  propriety,  which 
enabled  him  to  say,  near  the  close  of  his  life,  that, 
though  he  always  spoke  extempore,  God  had  given 
him  grace  never  to  say  any  thing  in  the  pulpit,  of 
which  he  had  reason  to  repent  afterwards. 

His  sermons  were  no  academic  discourses,  in  which 
all  is  polished  and  elaborate ;  in  which  loftiness  of  style, 
splendor  of  imagery,  and  a  nice  selection  of  thoughts 
seem  to  challenge  for  the  speaker  the  admiration  of 
his  audience  ;  nor  did  he  even  ordinarily  employ  that 
rhetorical  pathos  by  which  they  are  moved  and  car- . 
ried  away  ;  he  never  aimed  at  this  sort  of  eloquence, 
in  which  he  would  doubtless  have  succeeded  as  well 
as  many  others  have  done,  had  he  attempted  it. 
The  kind  of  eloquence  he  adopted,  thinking  it  most 
useful  to  believers,  most  conformable  to  the  spirit 
of  the  gospel  and  the  practice  of  antiquity,  was 
the  mode  of  teaching  pursued  by  the  Fathers  of  the 
church.      Their   instructions   are   not   ambitious    and 


348  LIFE   OF    CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

formal  orations,  like  those  of  Cicero  and  Demosthe- 
nes, but  the  conversation  of  a  father  instructing  his 
children,  telling  them  plainly  what  they  ought  to 
believe  and  to  do,  exhorting  them  to  virtue  with  un- 
pretending simplicity,  but  with  fervor  and  energy, 
often  even  with  a  sublime  eloquence,  and  the  out- 
pouring of  a  soul  full  of  faith  and  love  ;  not  afraid 
sometimes  to  address  them  in  impassioned  language, 
but  always  with  grace  and  dignity.  They  are,  in 
short,  the  sermo  of  the  Latins,  the  homilia  of  the 
Greeks.  To  attain  this  object,  the  Cardinal  sought 
first  to  render  his  instructions  clear.  Varying  his  lan- 
guage to  suit  the  intelligence  of  his  hearers,  and 
bringing  the  sublimest  truths  within  the  comprehen- 
sion of  the  humblest  minds,  his  arrangement,  his  rea- 
soning, his  thoughts,  and  words,  were  so  perspicuous, 
that  even  the  most  illiterate  of  the  common  people  were 
able  to  give  a  correct  and  minute  account  of  the  whole 
sermon,  as  was  often  found  to  be  the  case.  Some  poor 
servant-maids,  being  questioned  about  the  Archbishop's 
preaching,  repeated  not  only  the  subject,  but  all  the 
leading  ideas,  while  they  could  not  understand  a  word 
of  most  other  sermons.  This  excellence,  the  highest 
certainly  in  pulpit  eloquence,  was  in  accordance  with 
the  principle  held  by  the  Cardinal,  that,  of  all  the 
forms  of  composition,  the  sermon  requires  the  greatest 
perspicuity.  It  ought,  he  said,  to  be  more  clear  than 
the  epistolary  or  even  the  colloquial  style  ;  because, 
in  familiar  conversation,  one  can  ask  an   explanation 


HIS  PERSPrCUITY  IN  PREACHING.  34^ 

of  what    he    does    not    understand ;    in  a  letter,   the 
meaning  of  an  obscure  passage  may  be  found  out  by 
reading  it  over  more    attentively ;    while  the    sermoa 
must  be  comprehended  at  once,  instantaneously  as  it 
were,  since  custom  and    decorum    forbid   any  one  to 
call  upon  the  preacher  for  an  explanation,  or  ask  hina 
to  repeat  what   he  has  said,  that  he   may  be   better 
understood.     The   Cardinal,    therefore,  was    studious 
not  to  utter  an  expression,  a  word,  but  what  was  so 
clear  and  intelligible  as  to  be  apprehended  by  all  his 
hearers.     With  views  like  these,  it  may  be  supposed, 
that  he  could  not  tolerate  in  the  pulpit  that  neologism 
which,   he    said,  would    soon    oblige    the    hearers    to 
carry  a  dictionary  to  church  with   tliem,  in  order  to 
understand  the  preacher.     Still  less  did  he  like  that 
romantic  style,  which  can  say  nothing  with  clearness 
and  simplicity  ;  which  goes  on  without  any  connexion 
of  ideas,  without  logic,  without   argument,  and  with- 
out proof;  which  is  made  up  of  vague  plans,  ambi- 
tious thoughts,  and  rhetorical  descriptions,  and  is  full 
of   disorder    and    confusion ;    whose    object,  in  short, 
seems  to  be,  to  seduce  the   imagination,  by  dazzling 
it  with  a  false    splendor,  to  which   every  thing   sub- 
stantial is  sacrificed,  and  which  owes  its  success  only 
to  the  self-love    of  the    people,  who  too   often   pro- 
nounce admirable  what  they  do  not  understand,  pre- 
cisely because  they  do  not  understand  it,  and  because, 
by  seeming    to    penetrate    this    mysterious   obscurity, 
they  have  the  appearance  of  rising  above  the  vulgar. 
30 


350  LIFE   OF  CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

The  Cardinal  lamented  this  abuse,  which,  in  our  day, 
threatens  to  usurp  the  pulpit;  and  which,  if  it  spread, 
will  leave  the  people  in  profound  ignorance  both  of 
religion  and  our  mysteries.  He  neglected  no  oppor- 
tunity of  warning  the  young  preachers  of  his  diocese 
against  this  erroneous  course,  upon  which  they  were 
prone  to  enter,  and  setting  before  them  the  excel- 
lence of  a  clear  style  of  writing,  intelligible  to  all, 
but  not,  on  that  account,  the  less  eloquent. 

Next  to  clearness,  the  discourses  of  the  Cardinal 
were  most  distinguished  for  their  appropriateness. 
He  had  no  stock  of  old  sermons  ready  for  all  times 
and  places,  as  if  hearers  were  everywhere  equally 
intelligent,  and  had  the  same  w^ants.  It  seemed  to 
him,  that  there  were  shades  of  difference  peculiar  to 
each  region,  period,  and  occasion,  which  required  a 
different  language ;  that  the  orator  should  not  always 
touch  the  same  chords  in  the  human  heart,  but  should 
be  quick  to  perceive  to  what  feelings  he  can  appeal 
with  most  effect ;  and  he  thought  that  it  was  this 
adaptation  of  instruction,  this  inspiration  of  the  occa- 
sion, which  insured  for  a  discourse  interest,  attention, 
and  success.  During  the  twenty-seven  years  that  he 
preached  in  America  every  Sunday  and  holyday,  he 
never  repeated  the  same  sermon ;  there  was  always 
something  new  and  to  the  purpose,  suggested  at  one 
time  by  the  gospel  for  the  day,  or  the  festival  of  the 
saint  celebrated  during  the  week ;  at  another,  by 
passing  events,  and   sometimes   even  by  the  inclem- 


APPROPRIATENCSS    OF  HIS   SERMONS.  351 

ency  of  ibe  season,  as  when,  in  a  very  severe  winter, 
he  took  for  his  text  these  words  of  the  Canticle, 
"  Frost  and  cold,  bless  ye  the  Lord :  Benedicite, 
gelu  et  frigus,  Domino^  Twenty-seven  times  he 
pronounced  a  panegyric  on  Saint  Patrick,  the  first 
bishop  and  patron  saint  of  Ireland ;  and  each  time 
gave  it  in  a  different  form,  adapted  to  different  cir- 
cumstances. In  France  he  pursued  the  same  course, 
and  the  great  charm  of  his  manner  of  teaching 
always  lay  in  its  appropriateness.  If  he  was  to 
preach  in  behalf  of  some  benevolent  object,  instead 
of  a  vague  discourse  upon  charity,  he  unfolded  the 
design  of  the  institution  in  question,  dwelt  upon  the 
interest  it  ought  to  excite,  and  the  motives  for  en- 
couraging it ;  and,  in  all  he  said,  he  kept  this  end 
constantly  in  view.  Thus,  being  called  upon  to  speak 
in  behalf  of  the  Maternal  Society,  whose  object  it  is 
to  assist  poor  children  born  in  lawful  wedlock,  he  put 
into  the  mouth  of  Religion  these' words  of  Pharaoh's 
daughter  to  the  mother  of  Moses :  "  Take  this  child 
and  nurse  him  for  me  ;  I  will  give  thee  thy  wages.'' ^ 
Or  these,  spoken  by  the  angel  to  Joseph :  "  Take 
the  child  and  his  mother.'' -f  He  then  spoke  of  the 
touching  objects  of  this  charity  ;  a  child  crying  from 
want !    a  wTetched  mother  1    and  showed  what  bless- 

*  Cernens  puerum  vagientem,  miserla  ejus,  ait :  Accipe  pu- 
erum  istum  et  nutri  mihi ;  ego  daho  mercedem  tuam.  Ex.  ii. 
6,  9. 

f  Accipe  puerum  et  mafrem  ejus.    Matt.  ii.  13,  20. 


352  I-IFE   OF    CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

ings  the  alms  he  solicited  would  confer  upon  society, 
upon  the  benefactors  themselves,  and  the  unfortunate 
sufferers  for  whom  he  was  pleading.  Preaching  for 
the  House  of  Mercy,  he  took  these  words  of  the 
Lord,  found  in  Ezekiel :  "  I  will  feed  my  sheep :  I 
ivill  seek  that  which  ivas  lost  :  and  that  which  was 
driven  away  I  will  bring  again  :  and  I  loill  hind  up 
that  which  was  broken  :  and  I  ivill  strengthen  that 
which  was  weak :  and  I  will  feed  them  in  judg- 
ment ;'^*  and  he  went  on  to  develope,  in  the  most 
affecting  manner,  the  motives  which  should  induce 
his  hearers  to  unite  in  this  great  work  of  divine 
mercy.  If  he  was  not  sufficiently  acquainted  with 
the  place  where  he  was  to  preach,  to  be  able  to 
determine  what  would  be  most  suitable,  he  obtained 
the  necessary  information  from  the  curate  or  the  su- 
perior of  the  place,  and  carefully  observed  himself 
what  was  said  or  done  in  his  presence  ;  and  every 
particular,  relating  either  to  persons  or  things,  of 
which  he  could  profitably  speak,  was  introduced  into 
his  discourse  so  adroitly  and  naturally,  that  one  would 
suppose  it  brought  in  to  strengthen  the  proofs  and 
give  point  to  the  sermon,  rather  than  that  the  ser- 
mon was  accommodated  to  it.  Among  innumerable 
instances  we    shall    mention    but   one.     He  was    one 

*  Ego  pascam  oves  meas ;  quod  perierat  requiram,  et  quod 
ahjectum  fuerat  reducam,  et  quod  coufradum  fuerat  alligabo) 
et  quod  iiijirmum  fuerat  consolidabo,  et  pascam  illos  in  ju- 
dido.    Ezek.  xxxiv.  15,  16. 


HIS    USE   OF   THE  SCRIPTURES  IN  PREACHING.         353 

day  preaching  at  Bordeaux,  in  behalf  of  the  Society 
for  disseminating  good  Books.  After  having  shown, 
in  the  first  division  of  his  discourse,  the  utihty  of  good 
books  in  enhghtening  the  mind  and  forming  the  heart, 
he  was  proceeding  to  point  out,  in  the  second  place, 
the  danger  of  bad  ones,  which  impair  the  judgment, 
corrupt  the  heart,  and  impart  no  valuable  informa- 
tion to  the  mind,  when  the  Jesuits  unexpectedly 
entered  the  church,  attended  by  their  pupils.  "  These 
young  men  are  my  witnesses,"  added  the  Archbish- 
op ;  "  the  hope  of  France,  the  pride  of  our  country. 
They  read  none  but  good  books,  and  hold  the  pe- 
rusal of  such  as  are  of  bad  or  dangerous  tendency 
in  abhorrence  ;  and  yet  their  minds  are  in  the  highest 
degree  cultivated.  This  learned  body  are  my  wit- 
nesses, who  have  formed  the  finest  minds  in  France, 
who  have  always  excelled  all  other  societies  in  the 
difficult  art  of  educating  youth  and  cultivating  talent. 
Good  books  are  the  only  means  they  have  employed." 
So  skilfully  did  the  Cardinal  avail  himself  of  every 
occurrence  to  enrich  his  discourses.  *'  In  my  ora- 
torical penury,"  he  said  with  simplicity,  "  I  seize  upon 
every  thing  I  can  find,  to  supply  my  own  deficien- 
cies." 

The  Holy  Scriptures,  with  which  he  was  so  fa- 
miliar, also  lent  him  their  aid  on  these  occasions  ; 
and  whatever  the  subject  he  had  to  treat,  the  most  fe- 
licitous passages,  the  most  striking  incidents,  and  the 
most  touching  narratives,  borrowed  from  our  sacred 
30* 


354  LIFE    OF    CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

books,  were  always  at  hand  to  embellish  his  discourse, 
to  touch  the  heart,  and  to  interest  every  mind ;  and 
we  may  even  mention  as  the  third  characteristic  which 
eminently  distinguished  the  sermons  of  the  Cardinal, 
that  they  were  derived  entirely  from  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures ;  and  that  his  sermons  were,  in  truth,  only  the 
word  of  God  expounded  and  rendered  intelligible  to 
the  faithful.  He  said  that  philosophical  speculations 
were  very  well  for  academies ;  but  that  in  the  pulpit, 
the  word  of  God  alone  should  furnish  the  preacher  with 
proofs,  exhortations,  and  counsels.  Whatever  was  the 
theme  of  his  discourse,  he  always  found  in  the  Scrip- 
tures all  that  it  behoved  him  to  say  ;  and  his  dis- 
courses borrowed  from  that  sacred  source  a  grace, 
an  interest,  an  authority,  and,  as  it  were,  a  divine 
power,  which  distinguished  them  from  all  other  ser- 
mons. Now  he  spoke  of  Gehazi,  unable  with  the 
staff  of  the  prophet  to  restore  to  life  the  child  of  the 
Shunamite  ;  and  Elisha,  who  could  work  this  miracle 
only  by  stretching  himself  upon  the  child  ;  a  type 
of  pastors,  who  should  introduce  the  vital  principle 
of  faith  into  the  souls  of  children,  by  being  themselves 
their  teachers,  and  not  devolving  this  duty  upon  any 
one  else ;  by  becoming  as  little  children,  and  adapting 
their  language  to  the  comprehension  of  these  young 
and  as  yet  unpractised  minds.  And  now  of  the  tender 
Rizpah,  watching  by  the  dead  bodies  of  her  children, 
to  keep  off  the  birds  of  prey  by  day,  and  the  wild 
beasts  by  night ;  a  representative  of  the  vigilance  which 


HIS  USE  OP  THE  EXAMPLE  OP  THE  SAVIOUR.        355 

parents  ought  to  exercise,  in  order  to  preserve  their 
children  from  the  contagion  of  bad  example  and  dan- 
gerous company.  Again,  of  Raguel,  exclaiming,  at 
the  sight  of  the  youthful  Tobias,  "  How  like  is  this 
young  man  to  my  cousin  !  Quam  similis  est  juvenis 
isie  consohrino  meo!'^*  *'  An  exclamation,"  said  he, 
*•  which  should  be  uttered  by  every  Christian  heart, 
at  the  sight  of  every  brother  man,  even  of  the  un- 
known and  the  stranger ;  in  whom  we  ought  to  see 
the  family  likeness,  a  resemblance  to  our  Heavenly 
Father,  who  has  stamped  upon  them  his  own  image, 
and  adopted  them  for  his  children ;  the  features  of 
our  divine  Saviour,  whose  living  members  they  are : 
Quant  similis  est  juvenis  iste  consohrino  meoJ^  At 
all  times  and  on  all  occasions,  he  loved  to  adduce 
the  precepts  and  the  example  of  Jesus  Christ  as  unerr- 
ing rules  of  conduct  in  every  circumstance  of  life. 
The  character  of  this  divine  Saviour,  so  affectionate, 
so  kind,  and  so  tender,  had  deeply  touched  his  heart, 
and  he  never  could  admire  it  enough,  nor  become 
weary  of  recurring  to  it  in  his  instructions.  He  ex- 
hibited him  as  worthy  of  the  highest  admiration,  in 
his  childhood,  in  his  youth,  in  his  retired  life  at 
Nazareth  ;  and  at  a  later  period,  in  his  domestic 
circle,  whether  in  his  intercourse  with  his  apos- 
tles generally,  with  whom  he  bore  in  spite  of  their 
faults,  whom   he  called    his   beloved,  his   dear   chiU 

*  Tob.  vii.  2. 


356  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

dren^  whom  he  even  tenderly  kissed  when  he 
met  them  again  after  an  absence  ;f  or  with  Saint 
John  in  particular,  for  whom  he  felt  a  friendship 
so  tender  as  to  permit  him  to  lean  on  his  bosom.  J 
But  especially  did  he  invite  admiration  to  his  pub- 
lic life ;  taking  little  children  in  his  arms  and  bless- 
ing them,  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  poor,  and 
consoling  them  for  their  hard  lot,  by  his  words,  his 
example,  and  his  alms,  <§>  although  he  was  him- 
self poor ;  healing  all  diseases,  doing  good  to  all, 
performing  all  his  miracles  in  the  spirit  of  kind- 
ness and  love ;  weeping  with  them  that  wept,  at 
the  grave  of  Lazarus,  and  rejoicing  with  them  that 
rejoiced  at  the  marriage  in  Cana  ;  having  compassion 
on  the  affliction  of  the  widow  of  Nain,  and  restor- 
ing to  her  her  son  ;  pitying  the  sufferings  of  Peter's 
mother-in-law,  remaining  by  her  bed-side,  taking  her 
by  the  hand,  assisting  her  to  arise,  blessing  her,  and 
restoring  her  to  health  ;  in  short,  always  mild,  kind, 
and  affectionate  towards  all  ;  always  humble  and 
modest,  never  lifting  up  his  voice  in  dispute  ;  teach- 
ing us,  by  the  parables  of  the  Good  Shepherd  and 
of  the  Prodigal  Son,  the  love  of  God  towards  us  ;  and, 
by  that  of  the  Good  Samaritan,   the  compassion  we 

»  John  xiii.  33. 

f  The  Cardinal  infers  this  from  these  words  of  Judas  to  the 
Jews :  "  Whomsoever  I  shall  kiss,  that  is  he :  Quemcumque 
osculalus  fuero^  ipse  est." 

X  John  xiii.  23.  §  John  xiii.  29. 


HIS   SENSIBILITY  IN   PREACHING.  357 

should  feel  for  our  fellow-men,  even  such  as  are 
strangers  to  us,  as  the  Jew  was  to  the  people  of  Sa- 
maria. These,  and  many  similar  passages,  deeply 
impressed  on  the  Cardinal's  heart  by  his  love  of  the 
Saviour,  were  appropriately  introduced  to  adorn  and 
to  sanctify  all  his  instructions  ;  so  that  he  might  truly 
say,  with  the  Apostle  :  "  We  preach  not  ourselves, 
but  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  :  Non  nosmeiipsos  prcBdi- 
camus,  sed  Jesum  Christum,  Dominiim  nostrum.^^  * 

The  exquisite  sensibility  of  his  nature  diffused, 
over  such  portions  of  his  discourses  as  admitted  of 
its  display,  a  charm  which  greatly  heightened  the  in- 
terest of  his  preaching.  And  this  may  be  considered 
as  the  fourth  characteristic  of  his  eloquence.  He  be- 
lieved that  men  were  to  be  influenced  through  the 
affections,  since,  when  the  heart  is  once  touched, 
every  thing  is  gained  ;  the  mind  no  longer  -  attempts 
to  reason,  and  the  will  becomes  submissive.  Thus, 
in  his  instructions,  religion  appeared  invested  with 
every  engaging  and  affectionate  attribute  ;  as  a  mother 
full  of  tenderness  for  all  mankind,  but  especially  for 
all  the  afflicted ;  anxious  to  alleviate  every  misfortune, 
to  dry  every  tear  except  those  of  compassion  and 
charity,  and  to  bestow  upon  man,  even  here  below, 
the  highest  happiness  of  which  he  is  capable;  a 
mother  full  of  love,  wishing  to  see  all  her  children 
cordially  united  as  one  great  family,  assisting  one  an- 
2  Cor.  iv.  5. 


358  LTFE   OP    CARDINAL    CHEVERUS. 

Other  like  brethren,  the  great  and  the  rich  upholding 
the  insignificant  and  the  poor ;  all,  in  short,  forming 
but  one  heart  and  one  soul.  The  Cardinal  loved  to 
enforce  the  benevolent  lessons  of  this  holy  religion, 
and  delighted  especially  to  repeat  his  favorite  motto : 
"  My  beloved,  let  us  love  one  another ;  we  are  all 
children  of  the  same  Father,  who  is  God,  all  brothers 
in  Jesus  Christ,  all  members  of  the  same  body,  of 
which  the  divine  Saviour  is  the  head."  But  the 
tenderness  of  his  heart  was  most  apparent,  in  speak- 
ing of  the  divisions  engendered  in  society  by  differ- 
ences of  opinion.  "  Oh,  shame  !  oh,  reproach  of 
Christianity  ! "  cried  he.  "  The  Pagans  once  ob- 
served, on  witnessing  the  lives  of  the  first  Christians, 
'  See  how  they  love  one  another  1 '  but,  alas  !  at  the 
present  day,  on  beholding  the  divisions  which  rend 
the  very  bosom  of  religion,  they  would  rather  be 
tempted  to  exclaim,  *  See  how  little  they  love  one 
another !  '  Tell  me  not,"  he  added,  ^'  that  these 
men  whom  you  do  not  love  are  wicked,  and  the 
enemies  of  religion.  My  brethren,  Religion  herself 
entreats  you  to  love  those  who  hate  her.  You  are 
little  acquainted  with  that  holy  Religion,  if  you  be- 
lieve it  possible  to  honor  and  serve  her  at  the  ex- 
pense of  charity.  God  so  tenderly  loves  even  those 
who  do  not  love  him,  that  he  commands  you,  on 
pain  of  eternal  punishment,  not  only  to  bear  with 
them,  but  to  love  them ;  to  love  them  as  you  love 
yourselves,  to  love  them  as  he  himself  has  loved  us, 


HJS   MOVING   APPEALS.  359 

and  ever  to  regard  ihem,  in  spite  of  their  errors,  as 
brethren  in  Jesus  Christ,  children  of  our  heavenly 
and  common  Father." 

It  may  easily  be  conceived,  that  a  heart  so  affec- 
tionate gave  the  Cardinal  irresistible  power  over  the 
feelings  of  his  hearers,  when  he  wished  to  interest 
them  in  the  cause  of  the  poor  and  the  sick.  Ten- 
derly alive  to  the  misfortunes  of  others,  he  depicted 
them  in  the  most  affecting  colors  ;  and  the  eloquence 
of  deep  feeling  gave  still  greater  effect  to  his  words ; 
an  eloquence  speaking  in  every  feature,  and  modu- 
lating the  accents  of  his  agitated  voice,  which  revealed 
to  all  how  much  he  was  moved  by  the  distresses  of 
his  brethren.  *'  I  throw  myself  at  your  feet  to  im- 
plore your  charity,"  he  sometimes  said  to  his  hear- 
ers; "'Behold  me,  and  the  children  whom  the  Lord 
hath  given  me  :  ecce  ego  et  pueri  quos  dedit  mihi 
Dominus.'  *  I  am  the  father  of  a  family,  who  can- 
not provide  all  his  children  with  food,  and  ask  you 
to  give  them  bread.  Will  you  refuseme  ?  Ah,  you 
may  rely  upon  my  gratitL\de,  and  that  of  my  numer- 
ous family."  He  then  dwelt  upon  the  delightful 
emotions,  the  sweet  complacency,  which  a  kind  heart 
feels  in  doing  good  ;  Benefacit  animce  sU(B  vir  mise- 
ricors,-f  "  We  have  then  a  foretaste,"  said  he,  "  of 
the  bliss  of  heaven  ;  we  shed  tears  cf  happiness,  de- 
licious tears,  pure   as  the  crystal  stream  which  flows 

*  Isaiah  viii.  18.  f  Prov.  xi.  17. 


3G0  LI^'E  OF  CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

before  the  throne  of  the  Lamb. "  *  And  after  having 
taken  his  hearer  captive,  rather  by  the  charm  of  his 
sensibility  than  by  elegance  of  style,  and  persuaded  him 
to  give  alms,  he  went  on,  with  a  sensibility  no  less 
touching,  to  say  how  they  should  be  bestowed.  He 
directed  him  not  only  to  give  lieartily,  since  the  Lord 
loveth  a  cheerful  giver ;  but  with  delicacy,  with  a  sort 
of  respect  and  tenderness,  which  makes  the  poor 
feel  less  keenly  the  severity  of  their  lot.  He  said, 
in  accordance  with  the  words  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
"*My  son,  in  thy  good  deeds  make  no  complaint: 
and  when  thou  givest  any  thing,  add  not  grief  by 
an  evil  word.'  As  *  the  dew  refreshes'  the  earth 
parched  by  'the  heat'  of  the  sun,  *so  also  the 
good  word  is  better  than  the  gift  to  the  soul  with- 
ered and  scathed  by  misfortune.'  '  Lo,  is  not  a  word 
better  than  a  gift?  but  both  are  with  a  justified  man; ' 
while  'a  fool  will  upbraid  bitterly'  the  objects  of 
his  charity,  '  and  a  gift  of  one  ill  taught  consumeth 
the  eyes,'  of  the  poor  man  on  whom  it  is  so  be- 
stowed, f  To  give  alms  in  an  unfeeling  manner," 
he  further  said,  "  is  to  dissolve  a  pearl  in  vinegar ;  it 
is  to  deprive  charity  of  one  of  its  essential  charac- 
teristics, which  is  kindness ;  Caritas  benigna  estJ^  % 
And  he  cited  as  models,  Boaz,  who  commanded  his 
reapers  purposely  to  let  fall  some  ears  of  corn  in  the 
furrows,  that  Ruth  might  glean   abundantly,  without 

*  Apoc.  xxii.  1.  f  Ecclesiasticus  xviii.  15-18. 

X  1  Cor.  xiii.  4. 


Ills   LAST   ILLNESS.  361 

shame  ;  and  the  patriarch  Joseph,  who  said  to  his 
brethren,  "  Fear  not ;  I  will  feed  you  and  your  chil- 
dren" and  addressed  to  them  words  of  comfort,  gen- 
tleness, and  kindness,  consolatusque  est  eos  et  blande 
ac  leniter  locutus  est ;  *  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  also, 
with  Nicodemus,  and  the  holy  women  who  embalmed 
with  such  reverence  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ. 
"  The  alms,"  said  he,  "  with  which  you  succour  the 
living  members  of  this  divine  Saviour,  are,  in  his 
eyes,  like  sweet-smelling  perfumes  with  which  you 
embalm  his  body.  Perform,  then,  an  act  so  holy,  in 
a  holy  manner,  and  treat  the  members  of  Jesus 
Christ  with   suitable  respect  and  delicacy." 

Thus  did  the  Cardinal  pour  forth  in  the  pulpit 
the  feelings  of  his  tender  and  affectionate  heart. 
His  discourses  were,  indeed,  rich  in  fine  and  in- 
genious thoughts,  and  pointed  and  graceful  expres- 
sions ;  but  his  sensibility  was  the  great  secret  of 
his  eloquence.  This  inspired  the  tender  and  affect- 
ing language  which  found  its  way  to  every  heart, 
diffused  an  indefinable  charm  over  all  his  words,  and 
endued  them  with  that  soft  persuasion,  which  was 
perfectly  irresistible. 

Such  was  this  illustrious  Cardinal,  who  was  attacked 
by  a  fatal  illness  in  July,  1836.  It  had  long  been 
his  practice    to  pray  that  God,  in  his  mercy,  would 

*  Gen.  1.  21. 

31 


362  LIFE   OP   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

send  him  a  sudden    death,*  wishing  to   spare    those 
about   him    the    trouble    and    solicitude    which    pro- 
tracted sickness  occasions.     Heaven   seemed  to  hear 
his  prayer.     On  the  7th  of  July,  after  the  arduous 
labors  of  which  we  have  spoken  at  the  close  of  the 
preceding  Book,  he  experienced  a  confusion  of  mind, 
and  a  loss  of  memory,  which  alarmed  all  his  friends, 
and  made  him  think  that  he  was  near  his  end.     The 
physicians    prescribed    remedies ;    but    believing   his 
death    certain,    and    ail    these   prescriptions   useless, 
he  thought  only  of  preparing    for    his    final    change, 
added  a  codicil  to  his   will,  confessed    on    the   J  3th, 
and,  the  next  day,  at   five    o'clock  in  the    morning, 
was  struck,  as  by  a  thunder-bolt,  with  apoplexy  and 
paralysis,  which    instantly  deprived  him  of   all    con- 
sciousness and  feeling ;  such,  at  least,  was  the  opinion 
of   the    physicians.     Extreme    unction  was    adminis- 
tered to  him  without  delay  ;  the  prayer  of  the  forty 
hours  was  ordered  to  be  said  in  all  the  churches  and 
chapels  of  the  city  ;  and  a  sorrowing  multitude  crowd- 
ed around    the    altars,  to    pray  for  the    life  of   their 
beloved    pastor.     In    the    mean  time,  the  physicians 
assembled  around  the  bed  of  the  distinguished  patient, 
vied  with  each  other  in  paying  him  every  attention,  and 
consulted  together  on  the  best  course  to  be  pursued. 
All  the  resources  of  their  art  were  employed  in  vain  ; 

*In  reciting  the  htanies  of  the  Saints,  instead  of  saying, 
"  A  suhitaned  et  improvisd  morte  libera  nos,  Domine,^^  he  said 
only,  "  Ab  improvisd  morte  libera  nos^  DomineJ" 


PRAYERS  CONSTANTLY   SAID  IN  HIS  SICK  ROOM.     363 

no  amendment  took  place,  and  all  hope  was  shut  out. 
Prayer  alone  remained.  An  altar  was  then  erected 
in  the  chamber  of  the  sick  man  ;  the  rochet  of  Saint 
Charles,*  a  precious  relic  belonging  to  the  cathedral, 
was  placed  upon  it ;  and  around  it  knelt  successive 
bands  of  priests,  arrayed  in  their  surplices,  that  prayers 
might  be  said  without  intermission.  The  third  day, 
the  malady  continually  advancing,  the  chapter  came 
in  a  body  to  repeat  the  prayers  for  the  dying, 
which  were  not  discontinued  from  that  time  until  the 
moment  of  his  death ;  the  priests  of  the  city  and 
diocese,  who  had  hastened  to  the  spot  as  soon  as 
they  heard  of  the  illness  of  his  Eminence,  succeed- 
ing each  other  in  this  sad  duty.  While  they  were 
thus  engaged,  the  virtuous  priest,  who,  at  the  benev- 
olent instance  of  the  Cardinal,  had  been  the  in- 
strument of  so  much  good,  the  Abbe  Dupuch,  re- 
mained beside  the  bed  of  death,  like  a  child  beside 
that  of  his  father,  suggesting  from  time  to  time  pious 
thoughts  to  the  sick  man,  in  case  he  had  his  senses, 
as  many  suspected,  although  the  physicians  thought 
otherwise.  Every  avenue  to  the  archiepiscopal  pal- 
ace was  filled  with  sorrowing  crowds,  anxiously  in- 
quiring after  the  health  of  one  so  dear  to  them. 
The  civil  authorities,  from  time  to  time,  came,  weep- 

*  This  is  the  same  rochet  which  he  had  on  at  the  moment 
when  his  life  was  attempted  in  his  oratory,  by  the  discharge  of 
an  arquebuse.  The  Cardinal  de  Sourdis,  Archbishop  of  Bor- 
deaux, brought  this  remarkable  relic  from  Italy,  and  gave  it  to 
his  cathedral. 


364  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

ing,  to  look  upon  the  dying  countenance  of  the  father 
and  friend  of  all  his  people.  Clergy,  laymen,  phy- 
sicians,* all  contended  for  the  honor  of  staying  beside 
the  illustrious  patient  during  the  day,  and  watching 
with  him  at  night ;  and  regarded  it  as  a  privilege  to 
pay  him  this  tribute  of  affection.  On  the  18th  the 
holy  mass  was  celebrated  in  his  chamber,  as  also  on  the 
19th;  and  they  were  offering  the  holy  sacrifice  for 
the  fourth  time,  when,  at  the  moment  of  the  elevation 
of  the  host,  as  if  after  having  saluted  his  Redeemer, 
his  soul  burst  the  last  bonds  of  its  captivity,  and  he 
expired  gently  and  without  a  struggle,  on  the  day 
on  which  the  church  celebrates  the  festival  of  Saint 
Vincent  de  Paul,  many  of  whose  virtues  he  inherited. 
The  news  of  his  death,  although  not  unexpected, 
occasioned  as  profound  a  sorrow  as  if  the  event  had 
occurred  suddenly.  Throughout  the  archiepiscopal 
palace  all  manifested  the  deepest  grief.  The  con- 
fessor of  the  Cardinal,  a  venerable  priest,t  who  had 
come  from  America  to  Bordeaux  to  spend  with  the 
Cardinal  the  last  days  of  an  infirm  old  age,  was  the 
only  one  who  shed  no  tear,  although  the  traces  of 
grief  were    visible    on    his  countenance.     "  I  would 

*  We  are  happy  in  this  place  to  point  out  to  the  grateful  at- 
tention of  the  public,  among  others,  Doctor  Gintrac,  who,  with 
the  greatest  interest,  directed  the  mode  of  treatment;  and  Doc- 
tor Mabit,  who,  on  this  occasion,  as  ever,  displayed  the  most 
devoted  kindness,  passed  many  nights  with  his  Eminence,  and 
received  his  last  sigh. 

\  [Mr.  Cooper,  of  Virginia.  —  Tr.] 


CONCOURSE  TO  BEHOLD  HIS    BODY  LYING  IN  STATE.  365 

weep  with  you,"  he  said  to  the  others,  ^'  but  I  can- 
not ;  for,  if  I  have  lost  a  friend,  heaven  has  gained  a 
saint."     From    the    archiepiscopal    palace,  the    grief 
soon  spread   throughout   the  city  and   diocese.     The 
multitude  flocked  to  the  gates  of  the  palace,  to  ask 
the  consolation  of  contemplating  once  again  the  feat- 
ures of  him  they  loved,  before  he  was  consigned  to 
the    tomb  ;  and  when  the  body  of  the  prelate,  in  his 
rich  Cardinal's  robes,    had    been    placed  in    the  illu- 
minated chapel   prepared    for  the  purpose,   all   were 
allowed  to  enter.     For  two  days  the  concourse  was 
incessant ;    people  of   all    ranks  and    classes  mingled 
together  to  look  for  the  last  time   upon  the  beloved 
face  of  their  father  and  friend.     Although  severe  and 
protracted  suffering  had  left  its  traces   on   his   coun- 
tenance, and  it  wore  the  livid  and  melancholy  hue  of 
death,   they  still  thought  they  could  discover  in    his 
features    that   wonted    expression    of  kindness  which 
had  won  so  many  hearts.     Consternation  was  paint- 
ed on    every  face ;    and    the    silent    multitude,    with 
bended  forms,  and  eyes  fixed    on    him    whom    they 
were  never  again  to  behold,  seemed  loath  to  depart. 
A  few  words  only  escaped  from  the  grief  of  the  spec- 
tators.    "  Oh  !  the  good  pastor,  the  charitable  man  !  " 
said  some,  wiping  away  the  tears  which  bathed  their 
cheeks.     "  No,  never  will  the  poor  forget  him,"  said 
others  sobbing.     "  We  must  console  him  for  having 
left  us,"  said  one  of  the  common  people,  "  by  loving 
one  another  sincerely,  as  he  has  so  often  exhorted  us 
31* 


366  LIFE  OF   CARDINAL  CHEVERUS. 

to  do,  when  he  called  us  his  dearly  beloved. "^^  Such 
was  their  veneration,  that  all  were  solicitous  to  touch 
his  body  with  some  devotional  article,  as  a  cross,  a 
medal,  or  a  rosary  ;  and  were  so  eager  to  possess 
something  which  had  belonged  to  him,  that  it  was 
necessary  to  take  precautions  to  prevent  the  public 
veneration  from  carrying  away  piece-meal  the  habil- 
iments in  which  the  body  was  shrouded ;  and  the 
friends  who  were  able  to  obtain  some  small  frag- 
ments of  his  garments  received  and  preserved  them 
with  religious  respect.  A  wish  was  then  expressed 
to  have  the  body  embalmed  ;  but  the  family  of  the 
illustrious  departed  objected  to  this,  and  merely  had 
it  enclosed  in  a  leaden  coffin,  from  a  respect  to  the 
wishes  of  his  Eminence,  who  had  often,  during  his 
life,  expressed  his  disapprobation  of  the  practice  of  em- 
balming the  dead  ;  "We  are  dust,"  he  said,  "and  must 
return  to  dust."  It  would  even  have  been  his  wish, 
that  his  body  might  be  committed  to  the  earth  without 
much  ceremony  and  parade  ;  and  he  had  expressly 
directed,  that,  if  he  died  in  the  course  of  any  of  his 
pastoral  visitations,  he  should  be  interred  in  the  cem- 
etery of  the  parish  where  he  breathed  his  last.  But 
it  was  not  thought  best  to  comply  with  his  wishes  in 
this  respect. 

The  body  remained  exposed  in  the  illuminated 
chapel  seven  days,  during  all  which  time  the  faith- 
ful came  in  countless  numbers  to  weep  and  pray 
there ;  masses    were    celebrated   there  from  morning 


SOLEMN  POMP  OP  THE  FUNERAL  CEREMONIES.   367 

till  noon,  and  the  prayers  for  the  dead  were  said 
from  noon  till  evening,  by  the  clergy  of  the  different 
parishes  ;  the  people  of  each  parish  forming  a  pro- 
cession, and  corning  severally  at  an  hour  appointed, 
to  pay  this  last  duty  to  their  common  pastor.  On 
the  26th  of  July,  the  funeral  obsequies  of  the  illus- 
trious deceased  were  celebrated  with  the  greatest 
magnificence;  and  that  tender  veneration,  which  his 
virtues  and  his  dignity  inspired,  honored  his  remains 
with  every  possible  mark  of  respect.  The  cathedral 
was  richly  hung,  and  in  the  centre  of  the  nave  was 
erected  a  superb  catafalco,  or  tomb  of  state,  decorat- 
ed with  the  arms  of  his  Eminence,  and  his  various 
insignia  and  official  decorations  both  as  Cardinal  and 
Archbishop.  The  procession  was  composed  of  all 
the  religious  corporations  and  communities  of  the 
city  ;  all  the  military,  judicial,  and  civil  authorities ; 
and  the  great  body  of  the  clergy,  assembled  from 
every  part  of  the  diocese,  with  the  bishops  of  Peri- 
gueux  and  Rochelle,  who  had  come  to  pay  the  last 
honors  to  their  metropolitan.  The  funeral  train  passed 
through  the  principal  quarters  of  the  city,  between 
troops  of  the  line  and  the  National  Guard,  who  vied 
with  each  other  in  their  endeavours  to  render  the 
ceremony  more  solemn  and  imposing.  Everywhere, 
as  they  passed  along,  the  mournful  aspect  of  the 
mute  and  motionless  crowd  testified  their  sorrow, 
their  respect,  and  their  love.  When  the  procession 
came  to  the  street  through  which,  four   months  be- 


368  LIFE  OF   CARDINAL   CHEVERUS. 

fore.  Cardinal  Cheverus,  on  making  his  solemn  entry 
into  Bordeaux  invested  with  the  Roman  purple,  was 
conducted  in  triumph,  amid  shouts  of  joy,  every  heart 
was    overpowered    with    unutterable    emotion.     The 
contrast   between   that    scene   of   rejoicing,    with    its 
splendid    pomp,   and    the   universal    lamentation,  the 
mournful  bier,  was    indeed    heart-rending;    and    the 
remembrance  of  past  felicity  added  to  the  poignancy 
of  present    grief.     The    procession    returned    to  the 
cathedral,   and    after   the    usual    ceremonies  and  the 
prayers  for   the    dead,   his   venerated    remains   were 
deposited  in  the  principal  vault  of  the  church.     But 
this  was  intended    only   as    their    temporary  resting- 
place  ;  for,  from   the  first,  it   was  the   general   wish 
and  intention  to   erect   in    the   cathedral   a   splendid 
monument   for   their   reception.      A   committee    was 
immediately  chosen  to  superintend   its   execution  ;    a 
subscription    was    opened,    to    raise    funds    for    the 
purpose,   and  generous    donations  were    given.     The 
work   is  now  in  progress  ;  and  there  is  every  reason 
to   believe   that  it  will  be  worthy  of  the   diocese  of 
Bordeaux,  worthy  of  the  metropolitan  city  of  Aqui- 
tania,  and  worthy,  above  all,  of  the  virtues  and  the 
high  dignities  of  him  who  is  there  to  repose  in  the 
hope  of  the  resurrection. 


FRENCH    MISSIONARIES.  369 

Extract  from  the  *'  Genius  of  Christianity"  on  the 
subject  of  Missions,  quoted  by  Bishop  Cheverus  in 
a  sermon  preached  at  Boston,  See  page  136,  of 
this  work. 

"  Nearly  all  the  French  missions  were  established 

by    Colbert   and    Louvois Fathers    Fontenay, 

Tachard,  Gerbillon,  Lecomte,  he,  were  sent  to  the 
Indies  by  Louis  the  Fourteenth,  and  we  are  in- 
debted to  these  missionaries  for  the  love  which  the  sav- 
ages in  the  forests  of  America  still  bear  to  the  name 
of  Frenchmen."  —  (Book  IV.  on  Missions,  Chap.  I.) 

"  Europe,  and  especially  France,  which  furnished 
a  great  proportion  of  the  missionaries,  might  well  be 
proud  to  send  forth  annually  men  who  went  to  ex- 
hibit the  wonders  of  the  arts,  of  laws,  of  humanity, 
and  of  courage,  in  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe. 
Hence  the  exalted  idea  which  foreigners  have  formed 
of  our  nation  and  the  God  whom  we  adore.  The 
most  remote  people  have  sought  our  alliance ;  and 
the  ambassador  of  the  savages  of  the  West  has  met  at 
our  court  the  minister  of  the  nations  of  the  East." 
^(Ibid.  Chap.  IX.) 


APPENDIX. 


Page  30.  —  Tke  English  government,  &c.  "  M.  Cheverus 
was  never  under  the  necessity  of  receiving  any  portion  of 
that  bounty  the  British  government  so  promptly  afforded  to 
the  suffering  French  clergy,  but  was  at  times  able  to  assist 
some  of  his  brethren."  —  Boston  Monthly  Magazine,*  June, 
1825.    p.  5. 

Page  49.  —  travelling  on  foot,  &c.  "  The  younger  of  these 
divines  [M.  Cheverus]  has  often  taken  his  staff,  and  com- 
menced his  journey  by  day  and  night,  like  the  primitive  mis- 
sionaries of  the  church,  not  to  disturb  the  faith  of  others,  nor 
to  combat  heresy,  but  to  shrive  some  humble  Catholic  who 
was  dying  among  strangers,  and  whose  soul  was  panting  to 
catch  the  last  consolations  of  the  religion  he  professed.  Often 
he  continued  his  travels  to  the  wilds  of  Maine,  to  instruct 
and  comfort  a  few  Catholics  scattered  through  that  country; 
but  the  great  object  of  his  visit  was  to  enlighten  and  cherish 
the  sons  of  the  forest  in  that  region,  and  at  each  visit  he 
spent  two  or  three  months  with  the  Passamaquoddy  and  Pe- 
nobscot tribes  of  Indians."  —  Ibid.  pp.  6,  7. 

Page  50.  —  A  Protestant  journal  informs  us,  &,c.  As  this 
anecdote  has  been  called  in  question,  it  is  thought  advisa- 

*  I  have  cited  this  journal  wherever  it  touches  on  any  questionable 
points  in  the  present  work,  because  I  suppose  it  to  be  the  source  from 
which  M.  Dubourg  has  himself  drawn.  From  the  frequency  with  which 
it  is  expressly  quoted  by  him,  it  is  evident  that  it  was  one  of  his  prin- 
cipal authorities.  So  far  as  it  may  be  adduced,  therefore,  in  support  of 
the  statements  of  the  French  biographer,  it  must  be  regarded  as  afford- 
ing conclusive  evidence  that  he  has,  at  least,  not  fabricated  his  facts. 


372  APPENDIX. 

ble  to  quote  the  authority  for  it  in  full.  "  A  pious  Protest- 
ant clergyman  considered  it  his  duty  to  go  and  talk  to  these 
Catholics  [MM.  Matignon  and  Cheverus],  and  see  if  it  were 
not  possible  to  convince  them  of  the  errors  of  their  belief; 
but  after  an  interval  of  some  length,  he  returned  to  his  friends, 
who  were  waiting  to  hear  of  the  success  of  the  mission,  ex- 
claiming, '  These  men  are  so  learned,' "  &.c.  The  remainder 
of  the  quotation  is  given  in  the  text,  and  it  is  unnecessary 
to  repeat  it.  —  Ibid.  p.  6. 

Page  54.  —  In  the  last  war,  &c.  "He  was  a  good  citizen 
of  his  adopted  country.  He  never  lost  an  opportunity  of 
teaching  his  flock  the  blessings  flowing  from  the  government 
under  which  they  lived,  and  kept  alive  in  their  breasts  a  warm 
and  constant  patriotism.  In  the  last  war  with  England,  when 
Boston  was  threatened  with  an  attack  from  the  enemy,  and 
voluntary  contributions  of  labor  became  necessary  for  making 
arrangements  for  a  proper  defence.  Bishop  Cheverus  several 
times  went  out  to  work  at  the  head  of  his  flock,  to  assist  in 

building  ramparts  and  breastworks  for  defence It  should 

be  said,  in  justice  to  all  his  people,  that,  during  the  war,  which 
was  happily  of  short  duration,  they  were  at  all  times  prompt 
and  efficient  assistants  in  every  plan  for  our  protection."  —  Ibid. 
p.  11. 

This  statement  is  more  full  in  its  details  than  that  which  it 
is  adduced  to  illustrate ;  but  the  general  tone  of  the  latter  is 
much  the  stronger.  Still,  the  glowing  language  of  the  Bos- 
ton journal,  in  reference  to  the  warm  and  constant  patriotism 
and  the  prompt  and  efficient  services  of  the  Catholics,  may 
have  been  the  occasion  of  betraying  M.  Dubourg  into  the  use 
of  those  superlatives  for  which  he  has  been  censured,  espe- 
cially as  his  Catholic  zeal  would  naturally  predispose  him  to 
avail  himself  of  whatever  ground  might  off'er  for  an  advan- 
tageous comparison  with  Protestants. 


APPENDIX.  373 

Page  56.  —  many  Protestant  ladies,  &c.  "  Bishop  Cheverus 
numbered  among  his  most  intimate  friends  a  large  circle  of 
intellectual  females  of  the  Protestant  faith,  and  many  of  them 
moving  in  the  higher  walks  of  life.  In  his  judgment  and 
friendship  they  reposed  implicit  confidence  ;  and  not  only  con- 
sulted him  themselves,  but  taught  their  children,  in  every 
painful  or  delicate  exigency  of  their  lives,  to  call  on  him  for 
counsel  and  direction.  They  knew  his  bosom  would  be  a  safe 
repository  of  their  secrets  and  their  griefs,  and  that  his  wisdom 
would  suggest  the  most  honorable  course  of  duty.  In  truth  it 
may  be  said,  that  he  had  as  many  confidential  communications 
out  of  the  confessional  as  in  it."  —  Ibid,  p.  1 1. 

Page  59.  —  and  when  Mr.  Shaw,  &c.  "  He  was  friendly  to 
our  literary  associations  ;  and  when  Mr.  Shaw,  a  gentleman 
well  known  to  the  lovers  of  literature,  as  the  indefatigable 
projector  of  the  Boston  AthensBum,  was  in  the  early  stages 
of  his  efforts,  Bishop  Cheverus  assisted  in  the  enterprise,  by 
liberal  donations  from  his  extensive  library  ;  and  at  his  depart- 
ure froin  this  country,  in  dividing  his  books,  this  valuable  and 
flourishing  institution  was  not  forgotten."  —  Ibid.  p.  12. 

Page  63.  —  on  footy  &c.     See  note  on  p.  49,  ante. 

Page  G7.  —  To  purity  of  manners,  &c.  "  He  [M.  Cheverus] 
always  thought  the  aborigines  of  this  country  had  more  char- 
acter than  the  early  historians  had  been  willing  to  allow 
them."  —  ittV/.  p.  7. 

The  French  missionaries  seem  generally  to  have  held  the 
American  Indians  in  higher  estimation  than  has  been  usual 
with  their  Protestant  brethren,  and  to  have  found  them  much 
more  open  to  religious  instruction  and  influence. 

Page  69.  —  These  kind  savages,  &lc.    "  Numerous  instances 
32 


374  APPENDIX. 

of  their  affection  for  their  spiritual   guide  were  frequently 
mentioned  by  him." — Ibid.  p.  7. 

Page  72.  —  The  yellow  fever,  &c.  This  fearful  disease 
prevailed  in  Boston  several  times  during  the  period  of  Bishop 
Cheverus's  residence  in  that  city  ;  first,  during  the  summer  of 
1798,  again  in  1802,  and  once  or  twice  afterwards.  Eye- 
witnesses to  the  condition  of  things  in  the  city  during  the 
prevalence  of  the  fever  in  1798  and  1802  concur,  to  the  full 
extent,  in  the  statements  of  M.  Dubourg,  respecting  the  gen- 
eral panic  among  the  inhabitants,  and  bear  honorable  testi- 
mony to  the  conduct  of  M.  Cheverus  and  M.  Matignon  at  this 
trying  period.  The  statement,  that  they  alone  of  all  the 
clergy  braved  the  horrors  of  the  pestilence,  is  a  mistake ; 
numbers  of  the  Protestant  ministers  remained  in  the  city,  and, 
with  them,  faithfully  discharged  those  duties  of  religion  and 
humanity,  which  belonged  to  their  office  ;  although,  it  is  not 
denied,  some  few  of  the  clergy,  participating  in  the  common 
alarm,  removed  out  of  town.  To  this  circumstance,  doubtless, 
the  statement  in  the  text  owes  its  origin.  What  the  poet  said 
long  ago  was  no  new  thing  in  his  day,  and  is  far  from  strange 

in  ours  : 

it  Fama  per  urbes, 

Mobilitate  viget,  viresque  adquirit  eundo. 
Everybody  knows  that  what  is  true  of  a  part  may  often  be- 
come gradually  magnified  so  as  at  length  to  include  the 
whole,  and  in  this  shape  be  with  the  most  entire  honesty  re- 
peated. In  correcting  the  error  of  M.  Dubourg,  therefore,  there 
is  no  occasion  for  imputing  to  him  any  intentional  exaggeration. 

Page  74.- — in  all  assemblies,  the  Jirst  place  icas  for  him,  &c. 
The  language  of  the  entire  paragraph  is  altogether  Parisian, 
and  would  probably  convey  to  the  French  reader  very  nearly 
the  same  idea  which  is  expressed  by  a  Boston  reviewer  of  this 
work :  "  The  exemplary  devotion  of  M.  Cheverus  to  his  min- 
istry seldom  permitted  his  mingling  in  general  society  ;  but 


APPENDIX.  375 

whenever  he  appeared,  he  was  cordially  welcomed,  and 
treated  with  marked  respect."  —  Boston  Daily  Advertiser, 
Jan.  30,  1839. 

It  may  be  added,  that  there  are  many  who  remember  to 
have  frequently  seen  M.  Cheverus  officiate  on  public  occa- 
sions of  the  sort  mentioned  in  the  text. 

Page  76.  —  hitherto^  divine  ivorship  had  been  celebrated  only 
in  private  houses,  converted  into  chapels.  M.  Dubourg  seems 
to  have  been  misinformed  on  this  point.  "  The  first  Roman 
Catholic  congregation,"  says  Dr.  Snow,  "  was  assembled  in 
Boston  in  the  year  1784,  from  the  French  and  Irish  then  resi- 
dent here,  by  the  Abb^  La  Poitrie,  a  chaplain  in  the  French 
navy."  It  is  not  stated  where  their  meetings  were  held  dur- 
ing the  first  few  years  after  this  period ;  but,  "  in  the  year 
1788,  they  obtained  possession  of  the  old  French  church  in 
School  street,"  which  was  erected  about  the  year  1716,  for 
the  use  of  "a  French  congregation  of  Protestant  refugees"; 
by  them  "  transferred  to  several  gentlemen  as  trustees  of  a 
new  congregational  church,"  in  1748,  in  whose  possession  it 
remained  until  the  death  of  their  pastor,  in  1788,  when  it 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Catholics,  as  is  stated  above,  and 
was  by  them  occupied  for  religious  worship,  until  the  erection 
of  their  new  church,  in  li^O'S.  —  Snow^s  History  of  Boston,  2d 
ed.  pp.  200,  201,  202,  232,  and  340. 

Page  80.  —  a  letter  from  Bishop  Carroll.  The  excellence  of 
this  letter  renders  it  worthy  of  a  place  in  the  life  of  Cardinal 
Cheverus. 

"  Baltimore,  April  9th,  1803. 

"  Rev.  Sir  :  —  After  reading  your  letter  of  March  31st,  re- 
ceived yesterday,  I  am  not  surprised  that  you  are  agitated 
with  doubts,  trouble,  and  anxiety.  Perhaps  I  am  too  much 
interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  faithful  committed  to  my  pas- 
toral care,  to  decide  your  doubts,  and  remove  your  perplexity. 


376  APPENDIX. 

However,  you  are  entitled  to  my  opinion  on  a  subject  in 
which  both  of  us,  and  many  besides  us,  are  deeply  concerned. 
"I  take  it  for  granted  that  you  were,  by  the  usual  and  regu- 
lar law  of  the  church,  attached  to  your  native  diocese,  and 
subject  to  its  bishop ;  and,  therefore,  that  you  were  bound  not 
to  abandon  it,  and  enter  into  the  service  of  any  other  diocese, 
without  obtaining  license  for  that  purpose,  as  prescribed  by 
the  canons  ;  which  canons  likewise  subject  those  prelates  to 
the  censures  of  the  church,  who  shall  employ  clergymen  aban- 
doning their  own  diocese  without  proper  authority. 

"Such  is  the  usual  and  regular  law  of  the  church;  but  this 
law  supposes,  evidently,  that  the  clergyman  who  becomes 
subject  to  it  shall  have  employment  assigned  to  him  in  his 
diocese,  and  that  he  may  be  supported  in  its  services  and  ex- 
ercise his  ministry,  at  least  as  long  as  he  does  not  forfeit  the 
confidence  of  his  Ordinary  Diocesan  Bishop,  by  his  own  mis- 
conduct. But  if  events  take  place,  even  much  less  violent 
than  those  produced  by  the  late  revolution,  so  that  a  clergy- 
man cannot  hope  for  support,  protection,  or  safety ;  if  his 
bishop  can  no  longer  employ  him  ;  and  the  clergyman,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  necessities  pressing  on  him,  be  induced  to 
seek  for  safety,  and  undertake  elsewhere  the  care  of  souls  ; 
it  appears  clear  to  me,  that  he  is  no  longer  bound  in  justice 
to  the  service  of  his  former  diocese ;  what  claims  of  charity 
may  remain  shall  be  considered  afterwards. 

"That  the  general  and  usual  obligation  of  ecclesiastical  in- 
stitutions was  dissolved  with  respect  to  the  persecuted  clergy 
of  France,  so  that  they  were  at  liberty  to  enter  into  other 
engagements,  incompatible  with  their  primitive  connexion  with 
their  native  diocese  or  former  parish,  appears  evident  from 
various  considerations.  1st.  If  persecuted  priests,  expelled 
from  their  benefices,  having  annexed  to  them  the  care  of  souls, 
should  have  been  nominated  to  valuable  prebends  or  profes- 
sorships in  foreign  countries,  with  this  express  condition,  that 
they  should  hold  their  places  for  a  certain  term  of  years  j 


APPENDIX.  377 

might  they  not  have  accepted  such  appointments,  though  it 
was  possible,  that,  before  the  expiration  of  the  stipulated  term 
of  years,  peace  would  be  restored  to  their  country  ?  2d.  In 
the  same  manner,  when  French  clergymen,  wandering  in 
want  through  the  world,  and  victims  of  persecution,  accepted 
offers  of  employment  made  to  them  by  Catholic  prelates,  and 
obtained  the  respect,  confidence,  and  veneration  of  the  faith- 
ful placed  under  their  care,  is  it  not  to  be  thought,  that  these 
have  acquired  to  themselves  that  right  of  service,  for  the  ren- 
dering of  which  their  former  parishioners  could  not  afford 
sufficient  protection  ?  3d.  Clergymen,  persecuted  at  home, 
crossed  dangerous  seas,  and  travelled  to  a  vast  distance,  to 
seek  the  occasions  of  rendering  that  service  which  they  were 
not  allowed  to  render  in  their  own  country ;  but,  a  change 
happening  in  this  their  country,  is  it  to  be  thought  that  the 
clergymen  are  obliged  to  measure  back  the  same  seas,  and 
abandon  those  who  received  them  in  their  distress,  and  prof- 
ited by  their  instructions  ? 

"  These  are  some  of  the  many  reasons  which  persuade  me 
that  your  original  connexion  with  your  native  diocese  was  so 
far  dissolved  as  to  leave  you  at  liberty,  by  the  law  of  self- 
preservation,  to  seek  elsewhere  that  protection  which  you 
could  not  find  in  your  own  country.  Moreover,  the  changes 
made  in  your  own  diocese  and  parish  render  them  no  longer 
the  same.  The  Pope,  in  his  bull  for  the  concordat,  expressly 
suppresses  and  totally  extinguishes  all  the  preexisting  dio- 
ceses of  France.  Their  extinction  necessarily  drew  with  it 
the  extinction  of  all  claims  founded  on  their  existence,  and 
consequently  the  new  diocese  and  parish  are  foreign  to  you, 
and  without  any  rights  extending  to  your  person  or  services. 

"  To  make  an  examination  of  this  matter  as  satisfactory  to 
you  as  possible,  I  divested  myself  as  much  as  I  could  of  every 
personal  consideration,  and  endeavoured  to  view  it  solely  in 
itself;  and  the  result  of  my  reflections  has  been  more  satis- 
factory to  my  mind  than  when  I  first  began  them.  I  am  fully 
32* 


378  APPENDIX. 

persuaded  that  you  are  not  obliged,  by  your  previous  engage- 
ments to,  or  connexion  with,  your  former  diocese  or  parish,  to 
return  to  them. 

"  But  do  not  the  claims  of  charity  compel  you  to  resume  the 
spiritual  care  of  those  whose  attachment  to  you  has  been  so 
durable,  and  perhaps,  after  the  sacrifices  of  the  revolution,  are 
much  in  need  of  your  zealous  and  charitable  services  ? 

"  In  determining  this,  there  is  not  much  difficulty.  Consid- 
ering the  number  of  excellent  clergymen  in  France,  the  re- 
sources of  that  populous  country,  the  numerous  ecclesiastical 
seminaries  already,  and  the  many  more  soon  to  be  established, 
there  is  but  little  danger  of  the  faithful  remaining  destitute  of 
the  bread  of  Christian  doctrine,  and  the  graces  annexed  to  the 
sacraments.  But  what  resources  will  remain  for  those  whom 
you  have  begun  to  train  here  in  the  principles  and  duties  of 
true  religion,  if  you  quit  your  present  station  ?  None  at  all. 
The  labor  you  have  bestowed  will  be  lost  to  them,  and  the 
claims  of  charity  are  assuredly  stronger  in  their  behalf,  than 
in  behalf  of  those  who  are  not,  and  probably  will  never  be,  in 
the  same  extreme  necessity.  With  regard  to  the  solicitations 
of  your  respectable  father  and  your  other  near  relations,  it 
becomes  me  not  to  interfere  by  offering  my  advice.  You 
must  decide  on  them ;  and  I  ought  to  say  only,  that  I  flatter 
myself  with  the  hope,  that  the  service  of  God,  the  extension 
of  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  salvation  of  souls  pur- 
chased by  his  death,  will  speak  more  forcibly  than  the  voice 
of  flesh  and  blood.  I  received  with  yours  a  very  respectable 
letter  from  some  of  the  chiefs  of  the  congregation  of  Boston, 
and  to-day  another  from  the  much  respected  Dr.  Matignon. 
I  will  send  an  answer  to  both  in  a  few  days,  and  promise  my- 
self that  you  will,  at  all  events,  remain  till  I  have  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  you,  when  the  business  may  be  discussed  farther, 
if  you  should  still  have  any  doubts  in  your  mind. 

"I  am,  with  the  highest  esteem,  Reverend  Sir,  your  most 
obedient  servant,  -|-  J.,  Bishop  of  Baltimore."* 

*  Boston  Monthly  Magazine,  June,  1825,  p.  20. 


APPENDIX.  379 

Page  84.  —  Two  young  Irish  Catholics although  inno- 
cent, &c.  The  circumstantial  evidence  in  this  case  was 
strongly  indicative  of  guilt  in  the  prisoners;  but  I  am  informed 
by  some  who  were  in  the  confidence  of  Bishop  Cheverus  dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Boston,  that  he  always  seemed  to  have  a 
persuasion  of  their  innocence. 

Page  99.  —  A  poor  sailor,  &c.  In  this  connexion,  I  cannot 
forbear  introducing  an  anecdote  strongly  characteristic  of  the 
Bishop,  which  was  recently  communicated  to  me  by  a  worthy 
Catholic  of  this  city.  There  was  a  poor  woman,  residing 
in  Water  Street,  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church,  who 
was  suffering  from  some  chronic  disease  which  had  entirely 
disabled  her  for  work,  on  which  she  depended  for  support. 
The  Bishop  visited  her,  and,  observing  her  destitute  con- 
dition, sent  her  some  firewood;  It  lay  several  days  at  her 
door,  when  one  morning,  before  dawn,  my  informant,  who 
lived  near  by,  on  rising,  heard  the  sound  of  a  saw,  and  on 
passing  out  to  his  shop,  looked  in  at  the  poor  woman's  gate 
to  see  who  was  at  work  there  at  that  early  hour.  It  was 
Bishop  Cheverus  !  Reproached  and  deeply  mortified  at  dis- 
covering his  Bishop  thus  employed,  the  man  stepped  forward, 
and  begged  him  to  give  the  saw  into  his  hands.  "  No,"  re- 
replied  the  Bishop, "  I  have  let  this  wood  lie  here  now  several 
days,  hoping  that  some  of  you  able-bodied  young  men  would 
offer  to  saw  it ;  but  there  was  nobody  to  take  pity  on  the  poor 
woman  but  the  priest;  and  he,  —  because  it  would  have  been 
unseemly  for  him  to  have  gone  through  the  streets  in  the 
daytime  with  his  horse  and  saw  on  his  shoulder,  and  because, 
too,  he  would  not  have  it  known  that  there  was  not  to  be  found, 
in  all  his  fiock,  a  single  individual  to  do  an  act  of  humanity  for 
a  suffering  sister,  -  the  Bishop  himself  has  had  to  get  up  be- 
fore dawn,  and  come  and  do  it  with  his  own  hands."  Then, 
turning  to  his  work,  he  added,  in  a  tone  of  pleasantry,  as  if  to 
soflen  the  reproof,  "  Come,  stand  back,  —  I  never  allow  any- 


380  APPENDIX. 

body  to  step  in  between  me  and  a  job."  And,  notwithstanding 
all  remonstrances,  he  persisted  in  finishing  it ;  and  then  re- 
turned home  as  he  came,  with  his  horse  and  saw  on  his  shoul- 
der, before  people  were  stirring  in  the  streets. 

Page  100.  —  the  ministers  of  different  sects sometimes 

invited  him  to  preach  in  their  churches.  I  do  not  understand 
this  as  said  of  Boston  ministers,  particularly.  Indeed,  I  can 
discover  nothing  in  the  context  containing  the  slightest  inti- 
mation to  this  effect.  That  Bishop  Cheverus  was  sometimes 
invited  to  preach  in  Protestant  churches  out  of  Boston,  there 
can  be  no  doubt.  Besides  other  instances  which  have  been 
mentioned  to  me,  I  am  authorized  to  state  that  he  preached 
by  invitation  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  in  Bristol, 
R.  I.,  on  which  occasion,  it  is  remembered,  he  discoursed  on 
certain  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Catholic  church. 

Page  101.  —  Although  addressing  men  of  a  different  faith, 
&c.  A  specimen  of  Bishop  Cheverus's  style  of  argument 
with  Protestants  is  furnished  in  an  article  written  by  him  for 
the  "  Boston  Monthly  Anthology,"  in  reply  to  a  letter  of  an 
American  traveller  in  Italy,  published  in  the  same  work,  ani- 
madverting on  "  the  intolerance,^''  and  "  the  superstitions  and 
absurdities,''^  of  the  Catholic  church. 

"  To  the  American  Traveller,  on  his  second  Letter,  published 
in  the  Anthology,  Vol.  IV.  page  71. 

«  Boston,  April  7ih,  1807. 

"  Sir  :  — Your  second  letter  from  Rome  was  mentioned  to 
me  a  few  days  ago.  I  perused  it,  and  think  it  my  duty  to 
trouble  you  with  some  reflections  upon  it.  I  am  a  Roman 
Catholic,  and  in  points  of  doctrine  perfectly  agree  with  my 
brethren  in  Italy  and  elsewhere  ;  but  neither  they  nor  I  hold 
such  a  doctrine  concerning  indulgences  and  persecution,  as 
you  attribute  to  us  in  your  letter. 


APPENDIX.  381 

^^Indulgences,  you  sslj,  are  permissions,  either  general  or  more 
limited,  to  commit  offences,  and  are  advertised  for  sale  at  Milan 
and  in  oilier  cities.  As  a  proof,  you  quote  two  inscriptions  you 
read  in  the  churches,  in  the  following  words : 

Indulgenza  pienaria  tutti  i  giorni  delta  setlimana. 
i.  e.  Plenary  indulgences  every  day  in  the  week. 
Indulgentice  plena  rice  et  alioR  non  plenaHce  quotidiance. 
i.  e.  Plenary  indulgences,  and  others  not  plenary,  every  day. 
In  these  two  inscriptions  there  is  not  a  word  about  the  sale  of 
indulgences.    I  look  in  vain  for  venules,  or  another  word  of  the 
same  import,  added  to  indiUgerJicB. 

"Where  did  you  read,  Sir,  from  whom  did  you  ever  hear, 
that  indulgences  are  permissions  to  commit  offences  ?  Not,  I 
am  sure,  in  any  Catholic  writer,  not  from  any  member  of  our 
church.  Had  you  asked  even  the  ignorant  beggars  you  met 
with  at  Loretto  and  in  other  places,  whether  indulgences  au- 
thorized them  to  get  drunk,  steal,  &c.  &c.,  they  would  have 
looked  at  you  with  astonishment,  and  perhaps  then  mistaken  a 
Christian  for  an  infidel. 

"  But  what  is  an  indulgence,  you  will  ask,  what  do  you  mean 
by  it?  It  is  merely,  Sir,  a  dispensation  from  the  whole  or  part 
of  the  penance  which  is  or  ought  to  be  prescribed,  according 
to  the  canons  of  the  church,  to  those  who  have  confessed 
their  sins.  The  grant  of  an  indulgence  is  of  no  avail,  except 
to  those  who  sincerely  repent^  are  firmly  resolved  to  reform, 
have  made  an  humble  confession  of  their  guilt,  are  reconciled 
to  their  enemies,  have  restored  ill-gotten  property,  &c.  «&c. 
This,  Sir,  is  our  doctrine,  as  you  will  find  it  in  our  writers  of 
every  tongue  and  nation.  Saint  Paul  put  in  penance  a  man 
guilty  of  incest,  and  granted  him  an  indulgence  the  year  fol- 
lowing. Saint  Ambrose,  at  Milan,  subjected  the  emperor 
Theodosius  to  public  penance,  and,  six  weeks  after,  on  Christ- 
mas day,  granted  him  a  plenai^  indulgence,  and  admitted  him 
to  communion. 

"  We  ourselves  publish  indulgences  in  our  church  in  Boston ; 


382  APPENDIX. 

and  if  indulgences  are  permissions  to  commit  offences,  let  our 
church  be  pulled  down,  and  every  Roman  Catholic  be  banished 
from  this  hospitable  land.  But,  I  dare  say,  Sir,  you  do  us  the 
justice  to  believe,  that,  instead  of  encouraging  crimes,  we  do 
our  best  to  prevent  them,  and,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  not 
unsuccessfully.  If  I  am  not  misinformed,  the  American 
Traveller's  respectable  name  is  inscribed  among  the  benefac- 
tors of  our  church  in  this  town  ;  I  acknowledge  it  with  pleasure 
and  gratitude,  and  feel  happy  in  assuring  you  that  you  have 
not  contributed  to  the  establishment  of  a  school  of  corruption 
and  idolatry. 

"  Prayers  for  the  dead  are  mentioned  by  Tertullianus,  Saint 
Chrysostom,  Saint  Augustine,  and  other  Fathers  of  the  church, 
as  an  apostolic  ordinance.  The  Jews  pray  for  the  dead  now, 
and  did  certainly  when  the  Second  Book  of  Maccabees  was 
written,  i.  e.  140  years  before  Jesus  Christ.  There  is  no  harm 
in  praying,  during  nine  days,  that  departed  souls  may  be  ad- 
mitted into  eternal  rest;  but  to  expect  they  will  infallibly  be 
released  from  purgatory  by  such  prayers  is  contrary  to  the 
doctrine  of  the  church. 

"  This,  however,  and  other  practices,  which  you  tell  us  are 
no  better  than  gross  idolatry,  I  shall  not  attempt  to  vindicate. 
Not  that  I  agree  with  you  on  these  points,  but  because  my 
only  object  is  to  prove  that  Roman  Catholics  have  nothing  in 
their  doctrine  or  religious  practices  contrary  to  the  welfare  of 
society,  and  do  not  deserve  to  be  hated  by  their  fellow-citizens, 
as  they  would,  in  my  opinion,  richly  deserve  it,  were  they  li- 
censed to  commit  crimes,  or  animated  with  a  spirit  of  cruelty 
and  persecution.  Permit  me,  however,  to  relate  to  you  an  an- 
ecdote, which  may  possibly  reconcile  you  a  little  to  the  honors 
shown  to  religious  monuments  at  Rome. 

"  The  celebrated  French  poet,  the  Abb6  Delille,  during  his 
travels  in  Greece,  wrote  from  Athens  to  a  lady  in  Paris :  * 
"  *CEuvres  de  Jacques  Delille.    Tom.  I." 


APPENDIX.  393 

«  <  In  the  yard  of  a  private  house  I  perceived  a  marble  foun- 
tain ;  I  went  in,  and  discovered,  by  the  fine  carved  work,  it  was 
the  remnant  of  an  ancient  magnificent  tomb.  I  prostrated 
myself,  kissed  the  marble  over  and  over  again,  and,  in  the  en- 
thusiasm of  my  adoration,  I  happened  to  break  unawares  the 
pitcher  of  a  boy  who  had  come  to  fetch  water.  —  I  must 
give  you  another  instance  of  my  superstitious  love  for  antiquity. 
When,  with  a  heart  flushed  with  hope  and  joy,  I  entered 
Athens,  the  smallest  broken  pieces  of  ancient  ruins  were  sa- 
cred things  in  my  eyes.  I  filled  the  pockets  of  my  coat  and 
waistcoat  with  all  the  little  bits  of  carved  marble  I  could  find.' 

"  Yourself,  Sir,  who  are  a  literary  gentleman,  and  an  admirer 
of  learned  antiquity,  must  have  felt  some  degree  of  the  same 
enthusiasm,  when  walking  on  the  classical  ground  where  Virgil 
and  Horace  sung,  Cicero  harangued,  and  Livy  wrote  ;  when 
beholding  the  monuments  of  ancient  Rome.  Js  it,  then,  in  re- 
gard to  religious  monuments  alone  that  every  kind  of  enthusi- 
asm is  to  be  reprobated  ? 

"  I  must,  however,  inform  you  that  we  Catholics  are,  like 
yourself,  at  perfect  liberty  either  to  reject  or  to  admit  the  au- 
thenticity of  the  relics  and  monuments  which  you  mention. 
Had  you  applied  to  any  of  the  cardinals,  or  other  ecclesiastics 
in  Rome,  they  would  have  told  you  so.  From  them,  also,  you 
might  have  learned  what  is  an  indulgence.  You  would  have 
found  in  them  the  politeness  of  gentlemen,  and  the  amiable 
charity  of  real  Christians,  None  of  them  would  have  believed 
or  called  you  an  hiftdel,  although  they  would  have  seen  you 
were  prejudiced  against  the  religion  they  profess  and  teach 
with  sincerity.  They  would  have  assured  you,  and  shown  you 
by  their  conduct,  that  persecution  is  not  one  of  our  tenets, 
neither  can  it  be  proved  to  be  so  by  the  two  facts  you  allege, 
nor  indeed  by  any  others. 

"John  Huss,  Sir,  if  alive,  would  not  be  tolerated  in  this  free 
and  liberal  country.    The  errors  he  broached  were  proved  by 


334  APPENDIX. 

their  effects,  as  well  as  by  arguments,  to  be  utterly  inconsist- 
ent with  the  peace  of  society  and  the  very  existence  of  civil 
government.  He  caused  violent  seditions,  in  which  he  him- 
self took  an  active  part  A  dreadful  fanatical  revolution  en- 
sued, which  for  many  years  deluged  with  blood  the  plains  of 
Bohemia.  In  the  very  beginning  of  it,  the  mayor  of  Prague, 
magistrates,  priests  were  murdered. 

"  As  for  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew's,  I  abhor,  as  cor- 
dially as  you  do  yourself,  the  horrid  deed  of  blood  and  perfidy. 

Excidat  ilia  dies  sevo,  nee  pectore  credant 
Saecula. 

But  I  tell  you,  with  a  late  writer,*  'Let  the  blame  fall, 
where  it  is  due,  on  the  black  vengeance  of  the  unrelenting 
Charles  the  Ninth,  and  on  the  remorseless  ambition  of  the  un- 
principled Catherine  of  Medicis.  They  attempted  to  justify 
themselves  by  pretending  that  the  Huguenots  were  on  the 
point  of  executing  a  plot  to  destroy  them  and  to  overthrow  the 
government.  This  very  calumny,  which  the  king  and  queen 
invented  to  excuse  their  barbarity,  is  a  sufficient  proof  they 
did  not  conceive  it  lawful  to  commit  such  crimes  to  serve  their 
religion,  for  which,  indeed,  neither  of  them  felt  much  zeal. 
As  this  savage  villany  was  contrived  without  the  participation 
of  the  French  clergy,  so  they  were  the  most  forward  at  the 
time  to  oppose  its  completion,  and  have  ever  since  been  the 
most  warm  in  reprobating  it.  It  is  particularly  recorded  of 
Hennuyer,  Bishop  of  Lizieux,  that  he  opposed,  to  the  utmost  of 
his  power,  the  execution  of  the  king's  order  for  the  murder  of 
the  Protestants  in  his  diocese.  He  answered  the  governor 
of  the  province,  who  communicated  the  bloody  order  to  him: 
It  is  the  duty  of  the  good  shepherd  to  lay  down  his  life  for  his 
sheep.  These  are  my  sheep^  though  they  have  gone  astray,  and  I 
am  resolved  to  run  all  hazards  in  protecting  them.     The  praise 

"  *  LeUers  to  a  Prebendary.    London^  1800." 


APPENDIX.  38  5 

of  this  worthy  and  humane  prelate  is  to  this  day  in  all  our 
churches.  Persecution,  then,  is  no  part  of  our  doctrine,  and  I 
know  it  has  no  place  in  the  creed  of  our  Protestant  brethren. 
Yet  have  not  Catholics  been  persecuted  by  Protestants  ? 

"  Should  you  have  any  doubts  on  the  subject,  read,  I  beg  of 
you,  Sir,  the  eloquent  speech  of  the  immortal  Edmund  Burke 
to  the  electors  of  Bristol,  in  1780.  I  can  furnish  you  with  au- 
thentic historical  documents  on  this  subject,  and  am  not  afraid 
to  leave  the  decision  to  yourself.  To  your  own  candor  I  ap- 
peal now,  Sir,  and  wish  to  have  you  judge,  whether,  in  the 
United  States,  Roman  Catholics  can,  with  any  propriety  or 
justice,  be  reproached  with  being  persecutors  ? 

"  Your  venerable  forefathers,  Sir,  fled,  you  well  know,  not 
from  a  Popish,  but  from  a  Protestant  persecution.  They  landed 
here,  and  were  at  full  liberty  to  show  what  was  the  spirit  of 
their  sect.  Was  it  toleration  ?  Many  other  virtues  they  pos- 
sessed, no  doubt ;  but  to  this  they  were  utter  strangers. 

"Lord  Baltimore,  himself  a  Roman  Catholic,  as  well  as  his 
companions,  fled  from  the  same  persecution.  See  them  es- 
tablishing themselves  in  Maryland :  they  will,  no  doubt, 
give  strong  specimens  of  popish  bigotry  and  persecution. 
They  opened  an  asylum,  afforded  protection,  and  granted  the 
same  civil  privileges,  to  Christians  of  every  denomination. 

"  'Extraordinary  scenes,'  says  Doctor  Morse  in  his  Geogra- 
phy, '  were,  at  this  time,  (A.  D.  1656,)  exhibited  on  the  colonial 
theatres.  In  Massachusetts,  the  Congregationalists  intolerant 
towards  the  Episcopalians  and  every  other  sect;  the  Episcopal 
church  retaliating  upon  them  in  Virginia ;  and  the  Roman 
Catholics  of  Maryland  tolerating  and  protecting  all.  Virginia 
passed  severe  laws  against  the  Puritans,  whose  ministers  were 
not  suffered  to  preach.  This  occasioned  numbers  to  emigrate 
to  Maryland.' 

"  Here  are  my  evidences.     Judge  of  them  yourself,  Sir,  and 
give  your  decision.     I  am  willing  to  abide  by  it. 
33 


386  APPENDIX. 

"I  know,  Sir,  that  the  children  here  have  not  inherited  the 
persecuting  spirit  of  their  fathers.  Our  church  in  this  town  is 
a  standing  monument  of  their  liberal  and  friendly  dispositions  ; 
and  the  one  who  addresses  you  is  proud  of  the  friendship,  and 
grateful  for  the  polite  attentions,  of  several  of  them. 

"  We  Roman  Catholics  cherish  a  sincere  affection  for  this 
country  and  its  inhabitants  ;  we  abhor  the  idea  of  heivg  licensed 
to  commit  crimes  ;  and,  instead  of  hating  our  brethren  on  ac- 
count of  their  religious  opinions,  we  wish  only  to  be  able  to 
do  them  every  service  in  our  power. 

"With  respect  I  remain.  Sir,  your  most  obedient,  humble 
servant,  A  Roman  Catholic" 

Boston  Monthly  Anthology,  Vol.  IV.,  April,  1807. 

Page  103.  —  the  Protestants kissed  the  cross,  &c.    If 

it  is  borne  in  mind,  that  some  among  the  Protestants  were 
even  converted  to  the  Catholic  faith  by  Bishop  Cheverus, 
there  will  be  nothing  incredible  in  this  statement,  particu- 
larly as  the  language  is  wholly  indeterminate  as  to  numbers. 
The  same  remark  will  apply  to  the  expressions  attributed  to 
Protestants  in  the  two  following  pages. 

Page  106.  —  a  person  [minister]  one  day  said  to  him,  &c. 
I  had  deemed  this  a  palpable  mistake,  and  therefore  had  not 
thought  of  investigating  it.  But,  in  the  course  of  my  inqui- 
ries as  to  other  points  connected  with  the  present  work,  I 
have  accidentally  learned,  from  a  Protestant  of  high  respec- 
tability, who  repeatedly  heard  the  statement  from  the  Bishop's 
own  lips,  that  the  case  alluded  to  is  that  of  an  individual,  who, 
some  twenty-five  years  since,  after  completing  a  course  of 
theological  study,  and  being  admitted  to  preach,  produced  con- 
siderable sensation  in  Boston  by  the  renunciation  of  Chris- 
tianity. The  conversation  reported  in  the  text  was  held, 
doubtless,  subsequently  to  his  public  avowal  of  infidelity. 


APPENDIX.  387 

Page  106.  —  M.  Cheverus  several  times  held  public  confer- 
ences Willi  the  Protestant  ministers.  These  conferences,  so  far 
as  is  known,  were,  more  properly  speaking,  private  confer- 
ences, being  held  in  private  houses,  although  on  the  occasions 
which  are  recollected  there  were  numbers  present. 

Page   108.  —  Many  Protestants had  the  magnanimity 

to  follow  and  embrace  the  Catholic  religion.  "  Under  Dr.  Mati- 
gnon  and  Bishop  Cheverus,  the  congregation  increased  in 
numbers  and  respectability,  by  accessions  not  only  from  the 
foreign  population  of  the  town,  but  from  native  citizens."  — 
Snow's  History  of  Boston,  p.  340. 

Page  109.  —  But  the  conversions,  &c were  those  of 

two  Protestant  ministers,  a  father  and  son.  This  "father 
and  son  "  were  ministers  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church, 
by  the  name  of  Barber.  The  father  was  settled  in  Clare- 
mont,  N.  H.,  and  is  since  deceased.  The  son,  the  Rever- 
end Virgil  H.  Barber,  is  now  a  professor  in  the  Georgetown 
(D.  C.)  College,  and  at  the  period  of  his  conversion  is  believed 
to  have  resided  somewhere  in  the  State  of  New  York.  He 
received  priest's  orders  from  Bishop  Cheverus  in  1817. 

Page  131. —  The  inhabitants  of  Boston  respected  the  funeral 
ceremonies,  &c.  "  The  remains  of  the  Reverend  Dr.  Matignon 
were  entombed  on  Monday  last,  with  the  solemn  and  splendid 
rites  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church.  The  procession,  which 
preceded  and  followed  the  body  of  this  learned,  pious,  and 
truly  Christian  disciple  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  was  uncom- 
monly large,  and  excited  a  higher  degree  of  public  interest 
than  we  have  witnessed  for  many  years  on  such  occasions. 
Perhaps  few  persons  have  descended  to  the  grave  more  be- 
loved for  their  piety,  their  Christian  fortitude,  and  resignation, 
or  more  honored  for  their  zeal  and  active  benevolence."  — 
Boston  Commercial  Gazette^  Sept.  24th,  1818. 


388  APPENDIX. 

Page  140.  —  the  case  of  a  grocer,  &c.  The  name  of  this 
liberal-minded  man  deserves  to  be  recorded,  —  John  McNa- 
mara,  at  the  period  alluded  to  a  grocer  in  Broad  street,  Bos- 
ton ;  at  present  residing  in  Penobscot  County,  Maine. 

Page  141.  — the  principal  inhahiiants  of  Boston  subscribed, 
&c.  It  is  believed  that  no  subscription  was  actually  taken  up  ; 
simply,  however,  because  it  was  feared  that  Bishop  Chev- 
erus's  delicacy  might  be  wounded  by  such  a  step.  "  Pfad  I 
thought  he  would  have  accepted  it,"  said  a  Boston  gentleman 
to  me  recently,  "  I  would,  in  a  moment,  have  given  him  from 
my  own  pocket  a  hundred  dollars." 

Page  145.  —  The  moment  of  his  departure,  &c.  "The 
parting  scene  I  never  shall  forget.  At  a  very  early  hour  in 
the  morning,  the  vestry  was  filled  with  Protestants  and  Cath- 
olics, dissolved  in  tears  to  think  they  should  never  see  him 
again.  It  required  all  his  firmness  to  support  himself  in  bid- 
ding them  farewell.  As  he  left  the  house  for  the  carriage, 
lisping  infancy  and  silver-haired  age  rushed  forward  'to  pluck 
his  gown,  and  share  the  good  man's  smile';  and  the  last 
accents  of  his  blessing  were  mingled  with  the  moans  of  grief 
at  his  departure." — Boston  Monthly  Magazine,  p.  16. 

I  have  here  to  acknowledge  an  error  into  which  I  have  fallen 
in  consequence  of  relying  incautiously  on  personal  impres- 
sions. In  a  note  on  p.  145,  I  expressed  a  belief,  that  Bishop 
Cheverus  left  Boston  in  a  stagecoach,  unattended  by  any  es- 
cort,—  an  impression  which  others  seem  to  have  entertained 
even  more  strongly  than  myself.  I  am  since  informed, 
however,  by  one  who  accompanied  the  Bishop,  and  by  others 
who  saw  him  at  various  points  along  the  road,  as  far  out  as 
Walpole,  gentlemen  of  the  very  highest  respectability,  that 
this  impression  is  certainly  unfounded  ;  that,  on  the  con- 
trary, a  large  company  attended  him,  although  it  is  believed 


APPENDIX.  389 

his  biographer  has  considerably  overstated*  the  number  of 
vehicles.  I  am  happy  to  acknowledge  myself  corrected  iir 
this  matter;  not  that  I  attach  any  special  importance  to  it, 
except  as  it  has  been  made  the  ground  of  an  accusation 
against  M.  Dubourg,  and  as  it  may  serve  for  an  admonition 
of  the  exceeding  caution  to  be  used  in  the  correction  of 
supposed  errors,  and  particularly  in  the  imputation  of  dis- 
honesty, even  where  error  is  manifest ;  much  more,  where  it 
is  possible,  after  all,  that  the  writer  may  happen,  as  in  the 
present  case,  to  be  nearer  the  truth  than  we  who  have  been 
swift  to  impeach  him. 

*  See  remarks  in  Note  on  Page  72. 


THE    END. 


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